Outsider Effect
by Myrdraxxis
Summary: I went to sleep, and woke up in the Mass Effect universe. Sounds like the beginning of any old self-insert story right? Well, it turns I woke up in the year 2176. Seven years before Mass Effect. Now I have to somehow make it alone in this universe without getting killed off or completely losing it. Seriously, I might never sleep again. M for violence and language.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: The material here is owned by Bioware and EA, not me.

Outsider Effect

Chapter 1

* * *

It's late at night, ITunes is blasting Rise Against in the background and I'm typing frantically, trying to finish up a last minute assignment that's due in half an hour.

I'd like to say that it was just a normal, average Tuesday night, but that's not entirely true.

For the past several hours everything in our apartment from the microwave to the overhead lighting had been acting up, either refusing to start, or suddenly turn on without any input. My roommate and I had quickly gotten over the initial jokes about our place being haunted and quickly become irritated with the widespread mechanical screw-ups. Especially when it began interfering with my, admittedly procrastinated, homework assignment. A lightning storm had been building all day long, sending power outages all over the city. From what little TV reception we'd been able to get, it was being called the worst storm of the year, and from the way the sky is lighting up outside I believe it. This had been a particularly bad year for weather in the southern United States, this latest storm not helping matters any.

It was like electricity as a whole had stood up and decided that it was going to be a real pain in the ass today.

At least we'd gotten the power working again. Which leaves me trying to rush to finish this essay on a laptop that's still not working entirely correctly. All of my hate, technology.

"It's been happening all over the building, apparently!" My roommate, Jon, calls from the other room. He's been trying to call the landlord about the problem, but apparently the lines of communication are amongst the things that refuse to work properly today, because he's only just now getting through.

"Not all that surprising." I yell back absently, more focused on the task at hand. I really need to finish this soon so I can get to bed. I have to wake up early tomorrow for classes and Atlanta traffic is not something I relish.

I type a few more frantic lines into the computer and mutter to myself, "Almost…just about-"

And then the room goes black as the power shuts off again. I can hear Jon in the other room swear loudly. I just stare wearily at the blank screen in front of me. "…done." I finish.

With a heavy sigh I stand up and get ready for bed as best I can in the blackness. There's nothing else I can do about it now and maybe the power will be fixed by morning. I can only hope. After brushing my teeth and turning off all the lights I collapse into my bed, not even bothering to shed any of my clothing. It's been one of those days.

* * *

I can feel myself waking up and I blink my eyes open, groaning as the sun hits them and nearly blinds me from the brightness. Funny, usually my curtains take care of that. I sit up and now really open my eyes, and looking around the room. I freeze. Blink again a few more times.

This isn't the same room I went to sleep in.

"What." Is all I can say.

After overcoming a brief moment of instinctual panic at the sudden unfamiliar surroundings I force myself to actually look around the room. At second glance I make a disturbing discovery. The room wasn't as unfamiliar as I first thought. It's still my room, but all of my things were gone. So was all the furniture, save the bed I am laying on, which upon inspection is nothing more than a rusted old bed frame with a ratty mattress on top. Definitely not the same bed I fell into last night. The room itself looked as if it had lain abandoned for years, possibly even decades. The carpet was all but gone, and a few of the floor-boards beneath it were missing. The paint had long peeled away and two windows were both busted out at some point.

"Okay," I mutter, forcing myself out of the bed. "Try not to freak out. There's an explanation for this." This has to be Jon's fucked up idea of a prank. I don't know how he did it all without waking me, but it's impressive that's for sure. I'll make sure to tell him how impressed I am after I beat the ever loving hell out of him.

I take a step forward and freeze as the whole floor seems to shift. After a moment of ominous creaking, I hesitantly take a _slow_ step towards the door. Okay…so this place doesn't just look derelict. It actually is about to fall apart around me. Lovely.

I'm starting think that this isn't actually a prank by my roommate. Just to be sure I call out, "Jon! You there man? A little over the top don't you think?"

Silence answers back. I gulp, again fighting back a sudden surge of panic. "Seriously, what the hell did you do with all of my stuff?" I try again in vain hope. Still nothing.

Well shit.

I make my way over to the door and am suddenly very thankful that I didn't bother to undress before I fell asleep last night.

Was it last night? The state of my room seemed to say that I had been asleep for way longer than that. Like, be several centuries or something. Was that even possible? I couldn't have just fallen asleep and not woken up. My train of thought temporarily derails as I open the door to my room and the rest of my apartment gone. Apparently my room was the last hold-out of a building that had almost completely fallen apart.

The flooring outside of my room had collapsed in completely, along with the far wall. I spend the next ten minutes working my way down to the floor below me without breaking anything. Accomplishing this I manage to pick my way through the broken remains of the room below mine –and idly wonder what happened to my neighbors as I do so- until I manage to work my way out of the building and into the street.

I stare up at the buildings around me. This part of town had never been the safest or the most well kept, but it certainly wasn't a complete slum, like the one I found myself in now. There are maybe one or two buildings on this street that look even remotely safe to live in. There are no cars that I can see on the roads, which themselves are pitted and broken.

Somehow I've woken up in a run-down abandoned version of old home. Being a huge geek I can see a few possible explanations for this situation occurring. "Please don't let it be zombies." I beg the Universe aloud. I've seen it in movie before and I really don't want to live through the experience. I begin eyeing the darkened alleyways suspiciously, just waiting for legions of the undead to come spilling forth to feed.

Another twenty minutes of exploring and still no zombies, so I think I can put that theory to rest. Phew. I begin to see skyscrapers in the distance as I make my way through the streets. Being in a city, this isn't exactly a surprise, but these were seriously huge, white-washed buildings. Taller than most of the buildings that had been in the city before I had made this mysterious trip.

And as I draw closer I can make out strange specks flying through the air between the skyline. Downtown is still a fair ways from here, at least a half an hour's walk from what I remember, but it looks like the metropolis has grown, because I can already see larger buildings begin to blend with the smaller and more decrepit buildings.

And now I can see people. Where the street I had been on was completely abandoned, I can see people moving in buildings, or gathering in alleys, a few brave few walking out on the sidewalks past me. This still isn't the best part of town, from the looks of it and I unconsciously begin to quicken my pace. Really wish I had my knife with me right now, if just for the sake of assurance.

It's then that I freeze, as several things happen at once, and the pieces come together. I am now close enough that I can see those flying specks in the distance aren't actually specks. They're cars. Flying cars. As in, actually flying. Full on futuristic flying. As if to confirm that, one flies directly overhead, emitting a strange yet oddly familiar warble as it glides past. I stare up after it for a long moment while my brain tries to process what I just saw.

Then I look of to my side as another pedestrian walks past me, just in time to see him raise his left arm which is suddenly encased in a bright orange glowing device.

A familiar glowing orange device.

I'm a pretty big video gamer, and the Mass Effect series is one of my all-time favorites, so needless to say I know and recognize a great related to it. And that man walking away from me is definitely using an omni-tool.

An omni-tool.

Sweet Jesus on a pogo-stick just what have I gotten into here?

Without thinking about it I break into a run, closing the distance between me and the retreating man. I reach out and grab his shoulder. "Excuse me!" I try to keep the panic out of my voice as the man spins around, but I don't think I'm all that successful as the man's face goes from an irritated scowl to mild concern in an instant.

"You need something pal?" He asks, still sounding rather irritated at the sudden contact.

"What year is it?" the question comes quickly before I have time to really appreciate how absurd that sounds. I really need to know though. Just to confirm the truth that seems to be staring me in the face. My eyes drift down to the omni-tool still active on the man's arm. It looks exactly like one out of the games. Sweet Jesus…

"What?" The man asks incredulously. He gives me an odd look. I realize how completely strange I must appear with my obviously out of date clothes, scruffy appearance and odd question. As in, a complete lunatic.

"What year is it?" I ask again. After a second the guy finally answers, I guess figuring there wasn't any real harm in humoring my craziness.

"Same as it's been all year pal. It's 2176."

I take a shocked step backwards, feeling that panic beginning to surge up again. I need to sit down. I back up until I hit the brick wall of a nearby building and slide down to the ground. I sit there for…well I have no idea how long. The man with the omni-tool leaves without me noticing, probably to get as far away from me as possible.

'_Don't break down'_ I order myself. I can deal with this. Becoming a blubbering mess won't help me here. I give a snort of laughter. I've always been a go-with-the-flow kind of guy, but this is pushing the bounds of that mentality.

I take a deep breath stand up again, collecting my thoughts. Okay, so through some strange means I went to sleep last night and woke up not only in the future, but in a different universe entirely. The Mass Effect universe entirely. I'm sure that if I wasn't so completely freaked out my inner geek would be squee-ing with joy at the prospect of that.

And now the question of where to go from here? I'm in the Mass Effect universe, but I'm still on Earth. I'm still in Atlanta. Not to mention that it's about seven years before the events of Mass Effect 1. What exactly could I do? A nineteen year old kid with nothing but the clothes on his back in the slums of a big city.

I don't think there's an instruction manual for this kind of situation but boy do I wish there was.

I really should have read more self-insert fics.

Oh good, the panic is back.

* * *

Author's note: Firstly, a disclaimer here. I own none of the material presented in this story.

It's been years since I have been written anything fanfiction related. Truthfully I didn't expect to get back into it at all. This is pretty much just a creative outlet for me at the moment so I won't promise an update schedule or anything. Mass Effect is one of my favorite game series of all time, and I found myself needing to blow off some steam, thus this little foray into writing. I've never written a Self-Insert fic before, so this is sort of an experiment for me. We'll see how it goes. Truth be told Self-Inserts never really appealed to me (and generally still don't) but I've read one or two that inspired me to try my hand, and I'm hoping to avoid a lot of the typical clichés and pitfalls that come with a Self-Insert story.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: The material here is owned by Bioware and EA, not me.

Outsider Effect

Chapter 2

* * *

Okay, I think I've officially wrapped my head around the idea that I am in the Mass Effect universe.

Great.

Awesome.

We can move on from that now and focus on the more immediate concerns. Such as the fact that I have literally nothing except the clothes on my back and my winning personality.

I'm going to have to put aside the fact that I have knowledge of this universe that could really help fight against the Reapers.

My more immediate concerns are far more ignoble: looking out for myself. Frankly, suddenly being ripped from my life and dropped into a universe that is only several years away from annihilation via giant sentient robots is less exciting than one would expect.

Maybe I just haven't been here long enough to appreciate it or something. It's not like I was dropped somewhere glamorous like the Citadel. Regardless, most of the things I know won't be relevant for years to come. Even if they were, I'm in no position to do…much of anything really.

I need to find a way back home. Or barring that I just need a way to survive. That seems like a much smaller and more manageable goal for the moment.

That means I need two things: information and money.

I need to get my hands on an omni-tool, to keep myself connected with what's going on out in the world…well, galaxy actually. And isn't _that_ just weird to think about?

Unfortunately, that goes back to my need for money. I'm not going to be able to get my hands on an omni-tool for free, that's for sure. Hell, I'm going to need to be able to feed myself much less get my hands on such a high-end piece of tech. Maybe I should be thinking smaller here. It's not like I'm rushed for time. Seven years is enough time to get enough money for an omni-tool. I would hope.

As I begin walking again, the enormity of my situation strikes me. I pause and look around at the trash-filled streets and run down houses. From what I remember about Earth from the Mass effect codex (which admittedly isn't as much as I'd like) the poverty situation had worsened a great deal. The third-world countries are pollution-filled holes that still relied on old twentieth century technology, and while humanity's journey into the stars has alleviated much of population and resource problem, it's left even powerful nations such as the United States with cities that are strictly divided in terms of social class, where you are either wealthy or poor. Unfortunately I am very much the latter.

Just from what I know about Mass Effect-era Earth cities and my own observation of Atlanta so far, I'm thinking that I really don't what to stay here for longer than I have to. Unfortunately I'm stuck here until I have enough money to do…anything.

'_I'm going to have to get a job, aren't I?'_ I groan silently.

That thought in mind I continue my journey deeper into the city, hopefully finding any prospect of work. It still leaves me with a hell of a lot of problems to work with, but hey, one step at a time right?

The further I go, though, the more disheartened I get. There are a couple of pawn shops, or small unrecognizable stores around, but I can't see anyone inside. I highly doubt anyone would offer a job to some random guy who just wanders in. I don't think these places do enough business to afford it anyway.

Thankfully I don't draw much attention to myself as I continue through the streets. Physically I'm pretty nondescript: short black hair, brown eyes, not exactly tall or short. If nothing else I can be pretty good at blending in with a crowd. My clothes, a simple pair of jeans, white T-shirt and black hoodie, are obviously a bit dated, but this isn't exactly the heart of the galactic social scene, so nobody is wearing what can be considered in-fashion.

The few people out on the street with me are content to mind their own business, eyes straight ahead and not looking at anyone. I've seen a couple of rough looking guys pass me by and give me the evil eye, both wearing a red armband or a bandanna around one bicep.

Apparently I might just be in gang territory as well. I really shouldn't be surprised by that.

Another hour of wandering goes by before I finally see a fast-food place wedged in among a strip of seedy-looking buildings. I stop and blink when I see the sign for McDonald's half lit up.

Huh.

Nearly two hundred years in the future, and McDonald's is still around. That's both astounding and incredibly sad. Of all the franchises to survive, it couldn't have been something, I dunno, better? I pause at the front window and glance inside. The smell almost makes me drool and I can hear my stomach growling. Truly my situation has to be dire if I'm craving McDonalds of all things. I hate their food.

Again I become aware of how completely broke I am.

There's only one person working the counter insider at the register. They spot me through the window and glare. The statement is obvious: Buy something or leave. No free handouts. Great.

With a heavy sigh I head past the front door and around the side. I pause at the entrance of the alley and glance around as I feel the hairs rise on the back of my neck. Not to sound paranoid or anything, but I could swear someone was watching me just now. I look around warily but the street looks empty from here.

_Really_ wishing I had my knife with me now.

I move quickly through the alley (which is thankfully devoid of any vagrants or much trash for me to step on) and around to the back of the store. There's a dumpster right next to the back entrance, and it looks like it was just used. I begin to pick my way through the garbage, trying not to think of how far I've fallen so very suddenly to be eating garbage out of the back of a McDonald's. One-hundred and sixty-four years in the future. Can't forget that part.

I grimace and take bite out of a half-finished cheeseburger. McDonald's has never sat well with me, not to mention that this probably one of the most run-down food joints I've ever come across. I can't help wonder how much of this I'm going to be able to keep down. Oh well, if it will keep me alive until I can change my situation, then so be it. The things we do to survive.

I hear footsteps behind me and tense. Apparently my instincts are working just fine and I should pay more attention to them more. Now I'm stuck in a back alley with someone who potentially wants to mug me.

'_Please just let it be the cashier having a sudden burst of generosity.'_ I silently plead.

I slowly put down my "meal" and turn around to face the new arrival. Or arrivals, as it seems. Five people are standing at the entrance of the alley, cutting off any chance of escape that way. Four men and one woman, garbed in very well worn out street clothes. All five of them wearing a red strip of cloth around their arm or waist.

I look at them then over at the dumpster. "You just missed their lunch special." I say, then immediately feel like face-palming. Mouthing off to the local gang is not a great first impression.

One of them snickers, so at least I'm not the only one here with a sense of humor. Hurrah.

"Never seen you around here before." Their leader, a tall guy with dark brown hair and a goatee, speaks up. "And we know everyone who lives on our turf."

"Just got into town." I reply, glancing between the gang members. They're putting on a tough act alright, but none of them look like they're about to go for a weapon, so that's a relief. Probably just trying to scare me. It's not really working, but I think that's just because my recent shock has left me a bit numb. I'm sure it will pass. Hopefully not while being confronted by a group of armed thugs.

"You some kind of drifter?" Goatee asks with a derisive scoff. Oh, you have no idea buddy.

"Yeah, something like that." I reply.

"You got a name, drifter?" Goatee asks. I try not to sigh audibly. I really just want to enjoy my "meal" in peace here. What the hell do these guys want?

"Nathan." I say after a moment. There's a pause, Goatee is obviously waiting for a last name, but I don't offer anything more. He frowns slightly.

"Alright, Nathan. The name's Finch." That sounds slightly familiar for some reason. Don't know where from though. "This is Curt, Eli, Amar and Jess." Finch introduces the rest of his little crew. I barely glance at them before returning attention to Finch. Whose name still sounds weirdly familiar. "Thing is, Nathan, you're on the turf of the Tenth Street Reds."

Oh shit! That's where I remember that name from. The gang that an Earthborn Shepard was in during his or her days as an orphan on Earth. Now I remember Finch. He gives a quest to Earthborn Shepard on the Citadel in the first game. Never really liked him much then either.

"Well, don't worry about it." I reply, trying not to show my surprise. "I don't plan on sticking around much longer."

"Not a fan of the food?" Finch asks with a smirk. Ugh.

"Among other things." I glare back at him. Seriously, buddy. What the hell do you want?

"Well, staying or not, we have a bit of a problem now. See, the thing is, you gotta pay dues for living around here. That's just how it is." Finch explains. "Seeing as you've already been trespassing for a while and eaten our food," he looks pointedly at the dumpster. Seriously? "It's time to pay up."

Oh joy, extortion. The staple activity of street gangs everywhere. At least they're keeping the stereotypes alive here in the future. Have to live up to standards after all. I resist the urge to roll my eyes, though at the same time I'm starting to feel a little nervous. If these guys don't get what they want then the probability of violence suddenly goes up dramatically. There are five of them, they're probably armed and I'm not exactly a top notch fighter myself. I can throw a punch or two but I haven't taken any martial arts or anything since I was a kid.

"However," Finch continues, "Seeing as it's plainly obvious you don't have any money on you I had a different idea." Well don't keep us in suspense. "The Reds are planning a job tonight, and we're a bit short on manpower."

What.

"You want me to help you commit a crime?" I ask incredulously. Yeah, that's not where I thought this was going.

"Consider it working off your debt." Finch grins. Asshole. "You don't have to of course, but then you still owe us for the privilege of living in our territory…" he trailed off, the threat obvious. The bastard has me and he knows it. I can't just run. They have the alleyway covered and I doubt I can escape through the building before they cut me off around front.

I'm stuck, aren't I?

"What's the job?" I ask, swearing heavily on the inside.

"That's the spirit!" Finch chuckles. "There's an arms dealer who's got his operation set up a few blocks from the edge of our turf." He says, leaning in conspiratorially. The others move in too, relaxing a bit. I guess they figure I won't make a run for it now that I've agreed to help.

Maybe I _should_ make a run for it now. They've let their guard down.

No, I probably wouldn't make it as far as the alley entrance. Besides, then I'd have a pissed off gang looking for me, and I have no idea how much of this area is their territory.

"The police won't bust him 'cause he pays them off, and he refuses to sell to the Reds." There's anger in Finch's voice at that last bit. I get the feeling there's a story here, but frankly I don't really give a damn about it.

"So we're going to rob him?" I venture a guess. Finch nods.

"It's a small warehouse, and the dealer only pays it a visit when a big sell is about to go down. Usually it's just the hired help."

"Sounds like it could be dangerous." I say with a frown. "Somebody like this is bound to have armed guards right?"

"Sure," Finch agrees, "But only a couple, nothing we can't handle." Seeing the skeptical look I'm sending his way Finch continues. "These guys aren't professional or anything. Just street thugs that take the spare cash that Baretti throws their way to scare off the locals." Baretti is our arms deal I take it. "Our boys can handle 'em no problem."

Finch seems confident of that, but I'm not so sure.

"Alright." I say, resisting the urge to sigh yet again. This is a bad idea. Like, a _really_ bad idea. "What's the plan then?"

"We're meeting up with the rest of the crew in about half an hour. We'll head to the warehouse from there and stake it out until dark. I can explain more on the way." Finch turns and begins walking back down the alley and the rest of the gang members form up around him. He glances back at me. Oh, I guess he expects me to follow him. Right.

As I leave the alleyway behind the McDonald's in the company of the Tenth Street Reds, I can't help but snort in grim amusement.

First I get dropped in the Mass Effect universe and now I'm a criminal.

This is someone's idea of a joke, I swear.

* * *

AN: Here's chapter two for you guys! I'm happy to see that this story has been well received so far and it hasn't even really gone anywhere yet. Well, our dimension hopper officially has a name now. Originally this was going to be longer, I was going to get most of the Reds stuff out of the way with this chapter, but I figured dividing it up might be more manageable. The chapters will pick up and become longer as more begins to happen and we move closer to Mass Effect.

To answer a question from one of my reviewers, RosoMC: For the most part this story will stick to canon. Of course some things will change, however. it wouldn't be very interesting at all otherwise. A lot of the Mass Effect 1 canon will largely remain the same though. I hope you'll give it a chance regardless.

Alright, I'll see you all next time on Outsider Effect!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: The material here is owned by Bioware and EA, not me.

Outsider Effect

Chapter 3

* * *

It takes halfway through the trip to the edge of Reds territory for me to realize just how much of the area this gang controls. We must have been walking for twenty minutes at least, and we still aren't there yet. None of the others seem to feel like talking, just letting Finch lead us through the twisting streets and buildings. If I thought the streets were empty before, they're positively deserted now. I guess a patrol of the local powerhouse gang isn't something most people want to get caught up with around here. I can't say I blame them. It didn't really work out well for me either.

Once again the thought of running crosses my mind. Once again I squash the idea almost immediately. The Reds look pretty focused on their upcoming heist, not paying attention to me. Well, except for the one woman in the group – Jess, I think Finch said her name is. She's walking behind me and kind of glares at me every time I look around like I'm searching for escape routes. I guess she knows what I'm thinking. Great.

So that leaves us walking on in silence.

Awkward silence.

Oh well, the quiet gives me time to think. These guys seem pretty confident in their plan, and sure that they can handle any fighting that might happen. But they're just a bunch of street thugs, at the end of the day. The minute something goes wrong there's going to be confusion. I think at that point would be my best bet at escaping. I'll be outside of the Tenth Street Reds' territory there, and barring bad luck –which I'm having a ridiculous amount of recently- I can avoid their turf from then on.

A different idea is beginning to form, though. Even if this plan goes south, it should be relatively easy for me to get my hands on a gun. It's a warehouse full of weapons after all. I don't exactly plan on shooting up anybody, but just having a weapon around here would really help me out. If nothing else it's a good deterrent. Actually, now that I think about it, if I can get my hands on a _couple_ of weapons, then I can sell one and actually make some money…

Wow, in the span of a day I've gone from vagrant to arms dealer. Mom would be so proud.

I stop walking as that thought hits me, and my eyes widen. In all the confusion and panic, I hadn't even thought about my family. For all they know I've just vanished out of my bed. And now I'm thinking about my family, all my friends back home, hell even my roommate Jon. Before this sudden transition I had just been about to go home and visit my family for the weekend too. My dad was back from his business trip to Maryland, my mom had already given me a large list of all the food she was going to be making while I was home, and my sister had finally convinced me to start watching Dr. Who with her.

A sudden and very real pang of loss hits me.

I might never see them again.

"Hey, what's the problem?" A voice from behind me, that girl Jess, demands. I don't respond for a moment, and then start walking again. My legs feel heavy.

"Nothing." I say after a moment. I can feel her giving me a look, but I just ignore it, focusing on walking. Okay, so that completely derailed my thoughts.

Do they all think I'm dead? Are they searching for me?

I can't deal with this right now; I have to stay focused on the present.

I force myself to think about something else. Inevitably that leads me to think about the situation I'm in. Now I actually take the time to really observe the people around me that have pressed me into service. They're all actually pretty young, around my age, maybe a little bit older. I guess that's how gangs generally are, full of people barely adults who feel invincible and have something to prove. The one nearest me is Amar, I think. Tall guy, dark-skinned with hair that falls in ragged dreadlocks. Can't be more than twenty years old, but it looks like the guy has never smiled once in his life. The two up near Finch are…Eli and Curt? Pretty sure that's their names. One look and I can tell they're brothers. Have to be.

"We're almost there." Finch calls over his shoulder at us. Oh boy.

A thought suddenly occurs to me as we walk. This is the Tenth Street Reds, the gang that Earthborn Shepard was a member of for, as far I remember, most of his or her childhood on the streets. So, if the Reds are here, does that mean that we're dealing with an Earthborn Shepard here? It's a rather random concern, but this is the freaking Mass Effect universe for crying out loud. Of course I want to know all about the great Commander Shepard. Of course, at this point, Shepard would have already left the Reds and joined the Alliance, right?

Finch would know. "Hey Finch." I call out. The leader of our crew glances back.

"What?"

"You ever heard of somebody around here named Shepard?" I ask. Finch would remember Shepard. He looks at least a few years older than the rest of us, plus he's the one who contacts Earthborn Shepard on the Citadel during the first game.

Finch doesn't show any recognition though. His brow wrinkles as he thinks. "Can't say that I do. Not around these parts anyway." He shrugs.

"You looking for someone?" my intrepid rear-guard Jess asks.

"Yeah, sort of. An old family friend. Came to Atlanta looking for them." I lie. "Guess I'll have to keep looking."

So, Finch has never heard of Shepard which means that we aren't dealing with an Earthborn Shepard. Interesting. Whenever I get my hands on an omni-tool with some access to the Extranet I'll have to look up more. It's the year 2176, so the Skyllian Blitz should have just happened sometime this year. Who knows, maybe Shepard is a War Hero here. Thoughts for later I suppose.

"There's the rest of our crew."

Oh, I guess we arrived while I was thinking. I really should be more aware of my surroundings.

I can see three more people standing around at a street corner in front of us. Only three? I…I guess the more of us there are, the more attention we'll attract. Still, this can't be all of the Tenth Street Reds can it?

Finch seems to be expecting that question. "Most of the gang is still back at our base or sent out to other cities." I really want to use air quotes as he says 'base' but refrain. "We've never been a really big group, but we know our stuff."

"A lot of our guys headed south to Miami." Curt pipes up.

"Spreading out a bit?" I venture a guess. Finch nods.

"The Tenth Street Reds are expanding." He states proudly. "The pay-off from this job is gonna secure our power here in the city." Right. What's worse than a large street gang? A large heavily armed street gang. And from what I can gather the local police don't seem to give a rat's ass about it. I guess the Reds would have to be expanding now if they end up making it into space as smugglers within the next decade.

"Good for you I guess." I mutter as we join up with the three others waiting for us at the street corner. He certainly sounds confident of that, considering he just admitted to sending most of his crew out of the city.

"Who's this Finch?" One asks.

"A bit of extra manpower. Don't worry about it." He replies. The guy shrugs. Well, at least Finch as control over these guys.

"So now what?" I ask. Finch points across the street. Now that I look I can see the roof of a warehouse from over a row of houses.

"That's our target. Baretti's warehouse. We're all here, so now we just wait for night and hit the place."

I glance up at the sky. I can see the sun shining in between a couple of skyscrapers. We've got a few hours of sunlight left yet. I guess we'll just, what, sit here and wait?

Apparently so. Finch wanders over to the trio of newcomers and begins talking in low tones with one of them. Curt and Eli plop themselves down on the curb also begin talking. I look around for a moment and shrug. I'm content to just lean up against the nearby brick wall and keep to myself.

I close my eyes for all of five seconds when Jess speaks up. "You know he's planning on recruiting you right?" I open my eyes and see that Jess has joined me in leaning up against the wall.

"Come again?" I ask. Now that I actually get a look at her, Jess is actually rather attractive. She's got the same wear and tired look that most of the others here seem to have, but that doesn't seem to diminish the fire in those green eyes. And isn'tt blond hair supposed to be really rare in humans now?

I blink and glance back across the street so she doesn't think I was staring. Which I totally wasn't.

"Finch." Jess says. "Like he said, the Reds are expanding, and he's been trying to fill our ranks for months now. If he likes what he sees tonight he'll probably want you in the Reds."

I consider that. Huh. The idea of joining a street gang really doesn't sit well with me if I'm being honest. But going it alone out here in the city also doesn't seem like the greatest idea. It's not exactly honest work, but if it gets me the money…

"Just like that?" I ask. "Don't seem to have high standards around here."

"Not a whole lot of people join a gang just for the hell of it. Not around these parts anyway." Jess frowns. "Most of us joined up cause we have nowhere else to go. Because we- they're desperate" She catches herself and shrugs. I let it slide. I don't have particular interest in digging up someone else's sad past.

"Yeah," I murmur. "Desperate pretty much sums me up nicely."

Jess gives an amused scoff.

The two of us are silent for a few minutes after that. Not much to talk about I suppose.

"Will you? Join up?" She speaks up again. I look over and Jess is giving me studying look. I'm quiet for what feels like a long time before answering,

"I don't know."

She seems to accept that, and we both go back to our own thoughts.

* * *

"It's time." Finch announces. Thank God! The sun is setting and the shadows from the buildings are already making it difficult to see. I stretch, trying not to wince at how sore I am from sitting on pavement for the past several hours.

"The plan's simple." Finch explains as we all gather around. "We split up into three teams. Our boys Chang, Wikks and Dmitri," Ah, so that's what their names are. Didn't bother to introduce myself earlier. "Will take the front entrance. They'll make a big distraction for the guards to all go deal with."

One of the three nods and pulls out a pistol from somewhere. Holy shit, how did I not notice that?

"There are two guards out front and should be two more inside." Finch continues. "Eli, Curt and I will break in from the loading bay. Jess, take Nathan and Amar and come in through the back exit." He turns and looks at us each in turn. Jess just nods sharply. "While the front group keeps the guards distracted we'll be moving the weapons to a nearby cache."

Well it's good to know we have an exit plan. Sort of.

No one speaks up or complains, though I'm almost tempted to do so. No use complaining now I guess. Seeing that we're all ready Finch nods. "Alright. Then let's do this people. Make the Reds proud!"

The crew scatters into our teams and we begin to make our way over to the warehouse. Jess is obviously the leader of our little team, taking point and leading us through an alley between houses until we can see the warehouse in front of us. I can see a single side door on the wall we're facing. That must be our entrance.

"Hold up here." She whispers. Amar and I don't speak, just wait. "Wait for it…"

I hold my breath and do just that.

A minute later there's a shout of alarm from somewhere to our left closely followed by the sharp staccato of gunshots. Apparently that's our cue, because Jess makes a dash for the door. Amar and I chase after her, reaching the entrance in a few short seconds.

"Not even locked." Jess snorts as the door opens with a metallic groan.

The inside of the warehouse is set up like a labyrinth of boxes and crates that stretch towards the ceiling, scattered in seemingly random stacks around the huge room. If there's some sort of order to this set-up, I can't see it. Maybe Baretti isn't big on organization or something? Just as well, it makes it easier for us to sneak from one spot to the next. I can hear someone shouting something from across the room, and there are echoes of footsteps. I see two figures appear from around the corner, both carrying pistols at the ready. I tense, but they don't spot us, instead running for the front of the warehouse. I guess Finch's plan is working after all.

"So, do we just pick one and go?" I ask, glancing around at all the random crates, all of which I assume are filled with weapons.

Jess seems to think about this for a moment, before walking over to one of them. "Sounds like a plan to me." She says, grunting as she tries to hoist up the crate. Wordlessly Amar walks over and grabs the other end of the box. They begin to carry it over to the far side of the room, where I assume the loading dock is.

I find a smaller box to carry on my own and join them. By the time I get over there the loading doors are open. Finch is standing guard, and I can see Eli and Curt already retreating back out into the street with our haul.

"Hurry up." Finch hisses at me. Yeah, because I can see you're doing a lot of work here buddy.

I can still here gunfire and shouting from the front of the warehouse, so the distraction is still working, but who knows for how much longer? I actually kind of worry for the Reds that are caught up in the fighting.

Amar and Jess have already headed back in for another load, so I do the same. It's a tense few minutes after that, grabbing crates filled with weapons seemingly at random and dropping them off at the loading bay for Finch's team to carry off. It's pretty heavy work, that's for sure. I haven't worked out in a few months and my body sure is reminding me of that fact.

Jess and Amar work well together, barely having to speak to one another while getting the job done. It's sort of impressive actually, makes me wonder just how long these two have been in the Reds together.

Still, that leaves me to do this on my own, and I still haven't gotten the chance to pry one of these things open and swipe a gun for myself. Someone would definitely notice that.

I step around the corner of a high stack of boxes and freeze. Amar and Jess are heaving a particularly heavy-looking box off of the floor, so they don't see the man silently creeping around the boxes to their right, pistol in hand.

Finch was wrong, there are _five_ guards. One obviously stayed behind to watch the storage. Of course he did. That would be the sensible thing to do. Damn it.

They still don't see the man as he steps out into the open and raises the gun. Shit, he's going to kill them!

I move before I can properly think it through.

The guard hears my approach and manages to turn his head towards me right as I collide with him, sending us both crashing into the wall of crates behind him and sending some crashing around us.

Okay, ow. One of those definitely came down on top of us. That's going to hurt later. Hell, it's hurting now.

The guard's gun fires off into a random direction as it gets knocked from his hand and spins across the floor.

I'm sure that catches Jess and Amar's attention, but I'm too busy at the moment to notice. The guard recovers first and throws a punch that catches me in the gut. I let out an _'oomf'_ and collapse back to the floor.

"You little shit." The guard growls, cracking his knuckles in anticipation of bringing me a world of hurt. Not that I'm going to let him. Or I wouldn't, if I could get my breath back and get on my feet. Crap.

"Nathan!" I hear Jess shout. It makes the guard turn his head, which is the chance I need. I lash out with one foot, and manage to sweep his legs out from underneath him. That's actually harder to do than it looks. I guess I should be grateful that he isn't handling that tackle much better than I am.

I hear him swear but at that point I'm already scrambling to my feet. The guard's pistol is laying a couple of feet away. I snatch it up and turn, aiming back towards the guard. I've never used a gun in my life, and definitely never one that uses mass effect technology, but I gather that the principle is the same. The safety is off, all I have to do is point and shoot.

The guard is back on his feet already, but freezes in place, seeing his own weapon aimed at him, eyes locked on the barrel. He opens his mouth to speak but no words come out. This guy's obviously no professional, and he's probably not used being the one with a gun pointed at him. The experience is obviously leaving him terrified.

Shit, now what?

Do I shoot him?

I take a step closer, making the man inhale sharply in obvious panic. Damn it, the shooting outside has stopped, which means that those guards will be back any minute now.

"Nathan." Jess and Amar appear at my side. Jess is looking at the downed guard with a frown. "We have to go. Like, now."

Damn it. I can practically see the Paragon/Renegade choice laid out for me here.

"Count yourself lucky, pal." I say, and then take another step forward and pistol whip him. The guard drops wordlessly.

"Let's go." Jess orders, and together the three of us dash out of the warehouse. Finch is waiting for us at the street corner, and joins us wordlessly. We don't stop running until the warehouse is well behind us.

Several minutes later we're all standing around catching our breath, now well into Reds territory. Holy crap I can't believe we actually made it.

"The others are already heading back to our hangout." Finch speaks first. "We got a pretty good haul from that. Great job guys." He beams at us. Amar and Jess chuckle and I can't help but join in. I'm still riding on the adrenaline a little bit.

"I'm impressed, Nathan." Finch says as he turns to me. Oh? I glance over at Jess and she nods almost imperceptibly. Ah, I guess this is it. Honestly I still haven't reached a decision on whether or not to accept.

"Thanks. Turned out a lot better than I thought it would." I admit.

"It could have turned out a lot worse." Finch agrees. "You've more than proven how capable you are."

"So…" I start, studying him. "Does that mean I'm free to go then?" I can feel Jess and Amar watching me. Finch is quiet for a moment, before nodding.

"Yeah, you paid your due to he Reds so I guess you are. But, I have another idea." Here it is then. "We could use someone like you in the Tenth Street Reds, Nathan."

"You want me to join your gang?" I try to sound a little surprised. For his benefit.

"The Reds are growing in strength every day. We've got this area under our control and we look out for our own." Finch states. "It's a lot better than going it alone in this city." Well, he's right about that.

I hesitate. I didn't actually think this would be a hard choice to make. But the longer I spend here the more I'm thinking that getting by in this city on my own is going to be a hell of a lot more difficult that I first imagined.

I realize that I'm taking a while to respond. Luckily Finch seems to be in an understanding mood, probably due to our recent success. "Tell you what. Think it over. If you want in, just look us up. You won't have to go far to find us around these parts."

"Just find my way into some back alley, right?" I grin. Finch chuckles at that.

"Yeah, something like that. Take care of yourself, Nathan." With that Finch turns and heads off down the street. I watch him go for a moment before turning to see Jess and Amar still there.

"You probably saved our lives back there in that warehouse." Jess says. Her tone sounds almost amazed at that.

"Yeah well," I rub the back of my head awkwardly. "I couldn't just let him should you could I?"

Jess gives me that same studying looks she has been since we first met. Then she smiles, and damn I sure wish she would do it more often. "Thank you Nathan." She says. "Even if you don't join up, you ever need help me and Amar have got your back."

I look over at Amar, and the dark-skinned man nods. "Thanks." He says shortly. I think that might be the first word he's ever said to me.

The two gangsters turn and follow Finch's path down the street and disappear from sight. That leaves me standing here on the sidewalk in the middle of the night on an abandoned street.

I stare at the road for a moment, then down at my hand, only now aware that I've had something locked in a death grip this whole time. I still have that guard's pistol. Never bothered to drop it when we ran. It's not much, but it's something. I could sell it and make some cash, for food, or….

A beat.

Then I turn and start running down the street after the Reds.

* * *

An: Aaaaand here's chapter 3, a few days earlier than I had originally planned! Moving past the initial phase of Nathan's drop into the Mass Effect universe. The next few chapters will jump around a lot more. After all, we've still got seven years until Mass Effect, and writing out Nathan's entire life up until then would get dreadfully dull. We'll be moving on from Atlanta and the Reds soon, and there's nowhere to go but up. Keep the feedback coming and I'll see you all next time on Outsider Effect!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: The material here is owned by Bioware and EA, not me.

Outsider Effect

Chapter 4

* * *

_-November 17, 2176 - city of Atlanta, Earth_

I have decided to use my super powers for good.

That's the decision I have come to. At this point it's almost a sign of resignation from me, finally accepting that I'm trapped here in this universe.

If I'm going to be here a while, then I'm going to do something with my knowledge of the future. Something good.

Plus ten Paragon points.

Granted, while I'm stuck here on Earth my options are limited, but baby steps right? I've also been thinking about just how my interference could change things. For the better and worse. Changing an event might have dire consequences down the road. I've spent a lot of time thinking about the choices made in Mass Effect (as many as I can remember anyway) and how things might go differently. It's very confusing and in the end I figure I won't really know until it happens. Regardless, I'm going to do what I can to help.

I make this decision as I'm busy doing absolutely nothing, lounging around the Reds hang-out. As far as bases of operation for tough street gangs go, it's not bad I suppose. It used to be some sort of office complex of some kind; it's long abandoned now. The Reds knocked down a bunch of the walls, added some old beat up furniture and made it their own.

I'm splayed out on a long couch fiddling around with my omni-tool.

That's right, I actually got my hands on an omni-tool!

It took nearly three months to get , but I actually did it! Going on several jobs with the Reds got me enough cash to afford an old, used Bluewire model that I found in an electronics shop that the Reds use to fence some our more –ahem- _specially acquired_ goods. It's not exactly a top of the line model, but it works, considering the only other person in the gang who owns an omni-tool is Finch, which he uses to communicate with the Reds scattered in other cities. He's serious about the Reds expanding, that's for sure.

I've spent the last month just getting used to how this thing works, testing out what it can do and all that. This thing is about a billion times cooler than an Iphone. I have a secure extranet connection, which means I can explore the online community of the galaxy for tips and tricks on upgrading this thing. I've been trying to work with modifying the fabrication module so I can make myself an omni-blade, since apparently those have been around for a long time and not just around the time of Mass Effect 3 like I initially thought. I'm…still working on it. I've had to completely reset my omni-tool back to default settings three times now.

With this device I can finally re-embrace my inner technophile, not to mention finally getting some much needed information on the state of things in the galaxy.

It's been four months since I joined up with the Tenth Street Reds. Four months of slightly better circumstances than what I was dropped into. The Reds aren't rich by any means, but they –_we_ look out for each other. At any rate, it means I have a roof over my head and I don't have to go digging through trash cans for food. It's still weird, actually thinking about it. I certainly never planned on ever joining a street gang. Then again, I never planned on getting yanked out of my bed and dropped into a different universe either. Still, I'm part of the Reds now. I've got the official tattoo and everything. Yeah that's right, I got inked. A big Roman numeral ten in red ink on my left bicep. As gang tattoos go it's actually pretty subtle.

I've spent four months, essentially, waiting. Waiting for what exactly? I don't even know. For some mysterious being to suddenly appear and explain why I'm in the Mass Effect universe, perhaps? Some reason as to why me? Maybe an apology for dropping me off in the middle of a slummy pile of trash nearly a decade off the mark? That would be nice.

Nothing has happened though. I've just spent four months enjoying the rich, fulfilling life of a gang member. And I've just about had enough of it.

"What are you looking at now?" I hear Jess ask me from across the room. I glance up from my latest venture into the extranet to see her walk across the room and collapse into a nearby chair. She looks tired. Can't say I blame her. We've all been doubling up on jobs lately with Finch wanting the Reds to make a name for themselves. Usually we operate in teams; Jess, Amar and I are generally together on those. Ever since the warehouse incident the three of us have sort of a partnership going that at this point is straying well into friendship territory.

Truth be told, Amar and Jess are the only two Reds that I can really stand to be around for an extended period of time, much less be friends with. I still haven't really forgiven Finch for his little labor extortion stunt, even if joining the Reds was probably the best thing that could have happened to me in my situation. I quickly learned that Curt and Eli Weisman were Finch's go-to boys…and both were insufferable pricks.

I don't think I'd have as much of a problem with either of them if they weren't so casually xenophobic. Not that I've actually ever met or seen an alien (yet), but the way those two go on about turians….Well, the Reds came across as pretty anti-alien during Mass Effect 1, and I think I know where it originated from.

"Doing some research on that big-shot that the media keeps going on about. The one from the Skyllian Blitz" I reply, turning my attention back to the screen projected from my omni-tool.

"The Hero of Elysium?" Jess asks and I grunt an affirmative. "Big Alliance war hero, what's-her-face…Shepard. Right?"

"Yeah." I reply. I finally dug up some information on the great Commander Shepard. Or rather, Lieutenant Shepard as of right now. It wasn't hard, the Skyllian Blitz was the biggest thing to happen all year and the human media was having a field-day with it.

Elizabeth Shepard, the Hero of Elysium. From the thousands of pictures now circulating the extranet, via fan sites, news sites, forums and even a couple of batarian-run hate sites, I've managed to get a decent picture of Shepard in this universe. I never did play Mass Effect as FemShep, so this is going to be interesting. From what I've found Shepard looks pretty much like the default FemShep, save for the name. From what I can piece together about Shepard's early life (which is a great deal more now that she's a big war hero) she was born a spacer and grew up on various Alliance ships as a kid. So we have a Spacer, War Hero Shepard, future Hero of the Citadel and Savior of the Galaxy.

"I didn't know you were such a fan." Jess comments dryly, leaning back in her chair.

I snort. "Who isn't a fan right now?" I say, dismissing the screen. "Besides, it's nice to keep up with things happening out there beyond Earth." I gesture vaguely towards the ceiling.

"You say that like you want to leave Earth." It's not a question, and though it's not really an accusation either I still kind of wince as Jess says it.

"I didn't say that." I reply.

"But it's what you're really thinking." She chuckles and shakes her head a little. "Nathan, past all that sarcasm you're not that hard to read."

Oof. I heave a sigh. "Who could possibly want to leave this place? Violent street gangs, corrupt police, rampant poverty, what's not to love?"

We both chuckle at that. Jess sits there for a moment, a thoughtful look on her face. Four months here around her and I still can't get a read on her. The topic of why she's in the Reds has never come up, and I haven't asked. I figure it's not my business. Jess is one of the toughest members of this gang, no doubt about it. She's a fierce girl, has to be in a gang of pretty much all male thugs. But sometimes she just…

"You do plan on leaving though, right?" Jess asks softly. Sometimes she says something like that.

I'm quiet for a long moment. "Yeah." I say. There's no better way to phrase it, really. "I just…I don't want to be stuck here." I'm about to bust out a cliché line here. "There's got to be something better out there."

"That was so corny." Jess says. Yes, thank you. "And I've heard it plenty of times already."

"I can't imagine why." I retort. Jess just sighs. Okay toning back the snark. Just a bit. "It's not that I'm not grateful to the Reds for taking me in but…I just can't stand the thought of being here forever, ya'know?"

"Where would you go?" Jess asks, honestly curious. It's a question I've considered a lot over the past couple of weeks. While I have come to accept that I 'm probably not going home any time soon, I've also been dragging my heels on what to do next. When it comes down to it I haven't left the Reds yet because they're the first stability (sort of) that I've had in this universe and I'm hesitant to let that go.

"I was thinking of maybe joining up with the Alliance." I say after a moment. It's a smart move. Even if I never join up with Shepard, hell even if I never even meet the woman, the fact remains that the Reapers are coming and I want to be able to do something about it. If nothing else, the Alliance is a good starting point for that.

Jess stares at me for a moment, though she doesn't look very surprised to hear my suggestion. Wow, maybe I really am that easy to read. I should work on that.

"I can't be the first guy around here to do that." I point out after a moment. I feel the need to justify my decision, since she's still just _looking_ at me for some reason.

"No, it happens from time to time." Jess speaks after a moment. "It's just that…." She trails off. Okay, what's the deal here?

"It's just what?"

"Nothing. Forget it." She says. I'm about to call her out on that because there is definitely something bothering her, when I hear the door of the hangout open then slam shut. A few seconds later Amar walks into the room and, spotting us, walks over.

"Sup." He says simply, plopping down beside me on the couch. Guess his job with Wikks went well, since he's deigning to speak. I learned pretty quickly that Amar is a man of very few words, and only really speaks at all when he's in a good mood.

"Nathan here is talking about joining the Alliance." Jess explains before I get a chance to speak up. Amar looks over at me with a raised eyebrow.

"Seriously?"

"It's just an idea." I say defensively. "can you honestly say that you're fine with just being in the Reds your whole life?" I pose the question mostly to Amar. The man just shrugs.

"Maybe." And doesn't offer any more elaboration. A real conversationalist, Amar.

My omni-tool beeps suddenly and I glance down at it with a frown. The only person who has my contact address is Finch. Which means he needs something. Lovely. "Nathan here." I say, activating the comm.

"_Nathan, I want you to grab Jess and head down to Curt's patrol on Sherman Street. Some stiff isn't coughing up his protection money. The extra muscle should scare him a bit." _Finch's voice says from the omni-tool.

"Not interested in recruiting this guy too?" I ask. I hear Amar snort a laugh.

"_No. The situation is…different."_ Finch's tone is cold. Well great, what could that possibly mean? Jess and I exchange a look. She just shrugs.

"On our way." I tell Finch and close my omni-tool.

"Guess we're back on the clock." Jess mutters.

"No rest for the wicked." I reply.

* * *

Well, Finch wasn't kidding, the situation is certainly different. Sherman Street is only a block away, and Jess and I got over there quickly. Whatever I was expecting when we got there, it's not the site that greets us.

Curt and his brother Eli are kicking a pathetic form that is curled up on the sidewalk, jeering at it. The Reds are never usually this violent with collecting protection money. Don't have to be. The people around here know how it works, and how to avoid trouble.

The form moves, trying to crawl away, but a sharp kick in the ribs from Eli sends it sprawling back down with a sharp cry. Now I can see what it is and I stop short. The person that Eli and Curt are accosting is a salarian.

I didn't even know there were any salarians in this city.

"What the hell." Jess says. She's scowling at the scene and I can't help but join her. I can already tell where this is going, and I don't like it one bit.

"What are you guys doing?" I demand as we approach Eli and Curt. The two stop their assault, seeing us.

"This frog was trying to get away with not paying his dues. We're showing him the error of his ways." Eli says, giving the salarian another kick for emphasis. I wince slightly. I could swear I heard a bone snap there.

"P-Please," the alien rasps, looking up at me. It suddenly occurs to me that this is the first alien I've ever seen. "Make them stop! I'm sorry, I didn't know I had to pay. I'm only passing through! Look, I have the money I can-"

"Shut up!" Curt snarls and raises his foot to stomp down on the salarian.

"Knock it off, Curt." I snap. Enough is enough here. "He's had enough." I'm already moving even as I say that. I know Curt won't stop. He's made it obvious how little regard he holds for aliens. I didn't actually think I'd have to see it first-hand though. I shove the thug away from the beaten salarian, glaring at Curt. The man stumbles and glares right back as he recovers.

"Back the hell off, Nathan." He growls. "We're just showing this filth what-"

"I don't give a shit what you were doing." I say, trying to keep my voice level. I'm…not really sure why I'm so angry, but I am. I've never liked Curt or his brother, but I could tolerate them. Hell, I can tolerate a lot, but not this. "You're done."

"Says who." Eli steps up to defend his brother, but Jess cuts him off, pinning him with a glare.

"We do. You aren't going to get any money out of him just by beating him. Go back to base and let us handle this, Eli."

Eli glances at us, then over at his brother, probably deciding if it's worth it to get into a fight here. Eli's a thug, but he's no fighter, and he knows it. I crack my knuckles for emphasis and that seems to decide it for him. Eli backs down.

"Fine." He spits down at the huddled form at his feet. "But Finch is gonna hear about this."

"Just get your ass out of here." I say, snarling when Curt shoves his way past me. The two brothers send a final glare our way and disappear around the street corner.

Jess and I don't move for a long moment. Finally she kneels down beside the beaten salarian.

"Please. Just take the money." The salarian begs, reaching into his pocket and withdrawing a credit chit. His hand is shaking as he hands it towards Jess. She looks at him for a moment, before shaking her head.

"Keep it." She says, and starts hoisting the alien by his shoulder. I help her and together we manage to get the man back on his feet. "There's a free clinic about three blocks that way." Jess points down the street with her free hand. "Get yourself looked at."

"Th-thank you." He stutters, blinking wide eyes at us in disbelief, which is quickly replaced by gratitude. "Both of you." He looks at me.

"It was nothing." I say, not sure what else I can say.

The salarian walks away shakily, stumbling a few times but staying on his feet. Jess and I watch him go for a few minutes before I say something. "We're probably going to get hell for this. Eli and Curt won't have nice things to say."

"They can say whatever the hell they want." Jess responds. "This wasn't…this isn't how we should be running things."

I agree with her. I can only hope Finch does too.

* * *

Finch doesn't agree with her.

"You let him go?" The gang leader asks, disbelief written all over his face. Pretty much the whole gang is crowded into the main room of our hangout. It almost feels like a trial, here. Jess and I are facing Finch who is flanked by Curt and Eli, both of whom are sporting arrogant sneers. Dicks.

"He'd paid enough." Jess says, not looking the least bit cowed. "Obviously they," he glares at the two brothers, "weren't interested in taking money anyway."

"He tried to pay up." I say, "All they were interested in was beating the hell out of him." I send my own glare towards Curt and Eli.

"If that's how they decided to handle it then that's their business." Finch says. "Sometimes some force has to be used when dealing with stiffs. You have to teach them respect." He says that slowly, like he's teaching a couple of children.

This is obviously more than just extorting some money and everyone can see that. I spot a couple of doubtful looks from some of the others. Amar steps forward.

"That's not how we do things Finch." He says with a frown. The Reds didn't hesitate to use violence when it came to rival gangs or working jobs, but never do we actually hurt anyone living in our territory. It was sort of a…well, I think 'code' might be too lofty of a word for it, but it was an unspoken rule. This is our territory and we protect what's ours.

"It is if say it is!" Finch snaps, suddenly angry.

"What, just because you say so?" Jess responds. There's a tense silence. That was almost a challenge. Finch has been a good leader for the Reds so far, but the being a gang leader isn't exactly a secure position. Hell, I think Jess would be a better leader than Finch is, but that's just me.

Finch glares at Jess, and she just returns the gesture. The air hums with tension for a minute before Finch sighs and shrugs. "I just don't see what the big deal is here." He says, calming down some. "It's not the guy was human."

Well that certainly cuts right to the heart of the matter, doesn't it?

I should have expected this from Finch. In Mass Effect he's an open xenophobe. I don't know why I thought it would be different know. It's no wonder he and the Weisman brothers are such pals.

Jess stares at him for a moment in disbelief before turning and marching out of the room wordlessly. Amar follows her out and the rest of the gang scatters, seeing that the show is over. Finch snorts and shakes his head.

I make for the door, to follow after Jess and Amar, but Finch stops me. "Don't think you're not in trouble for this Nathan." He says. I fight the urge to roll my eyes at him. He's never been intimidating to me. I mean really, how can you be intimidating with a name like Finch? "You're working the streets until I say otherwise."

"Whatever." I reply without looking back at him as I leave the room.

It's night time now, and I'm out on the small balcony up on the second floor. The lights from the city make seeing stars nearly impossible here, but I like to come out here anyway. It's quiet, and I can think without having to be around Finch or his two goons.

The situation with the Reds is beginning to deteriorate, and quickly. It makes my decision to leave the Reds easier. Hell, I should have left as soon as I had enough money to. I should have left before I started considering Amar and Jess my friends, because now it's going to be harder to leave them behind.

"It has to be done though." I say aloud, closing my eyes and leaning up against the rail.

"Do I want to know?"

I jump at the voice, realizing I'm not alone out here anymore. Jess is standing in the doorway, watching me with a smirk. "Sorry." She says, trying not to laugh. "Didn't mean to scare you."

Trying to salvage some dignity I just wave her off and act casual. "Nah, I was just deep in thought is all." I say.

"Mhmmm." She just hums in obvious amusement, walking over to the rail and joining me.

"I thought you were going to attack Finch earlier." I say after a moment of silence.

"Almost did." Her reply is short and sounds frustrated. I can relate. I've just about had enough of Finch's shit. There's another brief silence. She obviously doesn't want to talk about it but…

"So why didn't you?" I ask. "Everyone knows that you could take Finch. Hell, you could probably lead the Reds better than he does."

A smile appears on her lips at that, but it disappears quickly. "You're probably right but…"

"But you don't want to?" I guess. Jess nods an affirmation. "Why not?"

For a moment I think she isn't going to answer me, with the way she just looks off into the distance towards the city. Finally she asks, "Do you have any family?" Okay, sudden change in topic.

I blink at her, trying to think of how to respond. "Not…" I begin. I'm not sure how to respond. "Not anymore." She looks at me expectantly. "I used to but…my parents, my sister…they're long gone." It hurts to say it, because it's not a lie. Not really. Even if I were still in my universe, they would have been dead for over a century by now. It's a fact that I try to avoid thinking about. About how everyone I knew and loved back home is gone for good.

"I understand." Jess says softly. "Most everyone around here has a story like that. The Weismans were orphaned thanks to the First Contact War. Amar's folks were killed in a shooting as far as I can tell." She pauses. "Mine well…"

"You don't have to tell me." I say quickly. It's obviously a touchy subject. I'm not even sure what brought this on.

"No it's fine. My parents couldn't handle it, trying to raise a child in all of this," she motions a hand out towards the city. "So they abandoned me."

"Damn, I'm sorry Jess I-"

"It's alright Nathan. I've dealt with it." She says, though I honestly wonder, by the look in her eyes. "The point I'm trying to make is, the Reds are basically the only family I've ever had." She explains. "I know what we do isn't right. We're criminals. I just…always overlooked it." She says. "What happened today? It's not the first time, and it's definitely not the worst." She shakes her head in disgust.

"You don't do anything about it?" I feel the need to ask.

"No." she says with a sad smile. "I was-I _am_ too afraid of losing this dysfunctional excuse of a family. But you started talking about leaving, joining the Alliance or something, and it made me remember how much I don't want to stay here either. I can't lead the Reds, because the I own't ever be able to just up and leave this life. I'll truly be stuck."

Oh. I think I understand. The Reds are the only family Jess has known, and the thought of leaving it is terrifying. The same thing that is slowly happening to me. She grew attached, then complacent and didn't want to leave anymore. And now she is scared of growing permanently attached.

"You don't have to stay here Jess." I say. "I know it would be hard to leave behind the only life you know. Leaving behind your friends…"

"I can't say that many of these guys here are my friends." Jess chuckles. "Except you and Amar. I don't think Amar shares my opinion about the Reds. He seems fine with this life."

"But not you." I observe.

"I didn't even start thinking about it until you showed up and shook things up. This is your fault." She shoots me a mock glare.

"Sorry, sorry. I am but a simple agent of change." I say with a grin. Jess shakes her head in exaggerated disgust.

"I can think of worse things to call you." She says, returning my grin. Oh, ouch that hurts. We settle into a comfortable silence. I think about what she told me, and about where I'm going to miss Jess and Amar.

An idea begins to form in my mind. With all that Jess is talking about not liking it here, maybe…

Just maybe…

"Jess-"

"I'm going with you."

The words halt in my mouth as Jess says that suddenly. She's staring so intently at me I can feel heat rising on my cheeks. "Are you now?" I manage to ask casually.

"Yes. I am." She says with finality to her words. I feel…glad? Yes, very glad to hear that. "Don't act like you weren't just about to ask me." She adds in a teasing voice.

"Apparently I really am that easy to read." I sigh. "Jess are you sure about this? It won't be an easy life, and you could go anywhere else."

"Not really." She counters. "I could leave Atlanta, but then I would just wind up in some other city, probably end up in another gang." She shook her head. "You have a way out of this Nathan, and I want in."

I stare at her for a long moment. Standing there in the half-light of the city lights, I'm again struck by how beautiful she is. My throat suddenly feels dry.

I cough and say "Wow, I wasn't aware I inspired such loyalty."

Jess smirks. "Don't flatter yourself, Nathan. This is just me using you."

"Oh," I place a hand over my heart, feigning hurt, "So mean. I guess I'll take what I can get."

We both get a good laugh from that.

The next morning, while most of the other Reds are still sleeping we slip out of the headquarters and walk three hours in the heat into the heart of the city, where the closest Alliance recruiting station is. Another half-hour later and the paperwork is all filled out and I sing on the dotted line. The next step of my new life is complete.

I join the Systems Alliance Navy, and I don't do it alone.

* * *

_AN: Howdy ho everybody! Exams are over with so I have a bit more free time to work with now. If you're lucky I might just devote some of it to this fic. Haha, just kidding, the next chapter is already in the works. We're moving on to the next stage of Nathan's journey, the Alliance. Admittedly a predictable move, but it's a key part of what I want to do with this story, so it can't be helped. _

_Thanks for all the support from my reviewers so far! Keep sending the love! _

_See you all next time on Outsider Effect!_


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: The material here is owned by Bioware and EA, not me.

Outsider Effect

Chapter 5

* * *

_-February 9, 2177 – Macapa, Earth _

I liked to think that I had a fairly good idea of what military basic training entails, from watching various movies and my own investigations on the Internet back home.

It didn't even come close to preparing me for going through the actual thing.

I can safely say that basic training for the Alliance Marines was the hardest experience of my life. Physically and mentally. We didn't even get into the really strenuous stuff until three weeks in, which up until that point had been primarily familiarizing ourselves with how the Alliance was set up, the rules, regulations, discipline etc. Oh, and PT. Always with the PT. I have never really been out of shape, but at the same time never in what I would call decent physical condition either. Basic training sure fixed that right up.

Twelve weeks of hell. And it was finally over.

Now I am learning yet another aspect of what it means to be a marine: How to party hard.

The bass is nearly deafening and I can barely see our table from the bar where I'm gathering up our next round of drinks. The club is absolutely packed tonight, with the usual club-goers as well as the newly graduated marines celebrating their achievement. I don't even know the name of this place, actually. I just wound up here along with the others after we were officially off-duty. I'm just glad that my translator (standard military issue) can handle Spanish otherwise I'd have no idea what was being yelled at me half the time. Why I was assigned to a Training Depot in Brazil I will never understand.

I wind my way through the mass of bodies towards my table, tucked away in the corner across from the packed dance floor.

There are already two others seated at the table.

"Finally." Jess drawls as she snatches a beer out of my hand before I can even sit down. "Did you get lost or something?"

"I don't see you helping out." I reply as a set the remaining bottles at the table and collapse into a chair. I'm pretty fucking exhausted after twelve weeks of boot camp. Hell we all are. At least the Alliance is giving us one night off before we receive our first duty assignment tomorrow. Hence the copious amounts of beer.

"You know the rules, Nate." Our third member chuckles, sipping from his own drink. "You scored the lowest in hand-to-hand, which means you buy the drinks."

"Piss off, Greg." I scowl at him. "And don't call me Nate." I add. "If we'd gone with marksmanship scores I'd have both of you beat. Why did we go with hand-to-hand anyway?"

"Because you would have won at marksmanship. Your hand-to-hand skills are abysmal by comparison." Jesse replies with a smirk. Oh I see now. It's a conspiracy! Greg's chuckle becomes a full blown laugh and I shoot the man a betrayed look.

"I thought we were bros, Greg." The other marine just raises his arms in surrender and goes for another drink.

"Toombs just knows a good bet when he sees one." Jess grins, then gives me a look. Greg just snorts.

Gregory Toombs. I met him the second day of training when we were both assigned scrubbing duty in the barracks. Naturally, we bonded over our shared suffering and have been "best bros" all throughout boot camp. I'm sure Jess is jealous even if she won't admit it.

I can't help but think that Toombs' name is familiar. It's been bothering me ever since we met. It has to be something from the Mass Effect games, but I really can't remember. I only played through the first game once, and I didn't do all of the side quests either. If he ever showed up in any of them I sure don't remember it. Still, I can't help but feel uneasy for some reason whenever I think about it.

Blah, whatever. Tonight isn't about that. Tonight is a celebration of my first real accomplishment here in Mass Effect land! I've become a marine of the Systems Alliance and I'm damn proud of that.

"Well, speaking of Nathan's superior marksmanship," Jess does some air quotes at that and I roll my eyes at him (to which he sticks his tongue out at me because we're both five years old or something) "I heard you got recommended for Infiltrator training." She says to me. Greg blinks in shock and says,

"No shit?"

I grin proudly and he swears again. Those with the right aptitude for in training could be selected for advanced training in specialized fields. Infiltrator, Vanguard, Engineer, etc. All the classes from the games. I had wondered how that system would actually work in a real-life scenario, and as it turns out, in the Alliance at least, you just had to be good enough to be recommended for training.

Which apparently I was. Hell yeah.

Basic training showed me that I'm actually a pretty damn good shot (which is in no small part thanks to hours on the range) and not too shabby at stealth or tech either.

Infiltrator always was my favorite class in Mass Effect. So I'm more than a little excited.

"I have to wait a month to actually get processed and get training." I say, which brings the excitement down a little bit. Advanced training means I have to ship out to Arcturus Station and then from there transition to the Luna base training grounds once enough candidates have been gathered for a full class.

"Which means you're stuck with us for a while longer." Toombs says cheerfully.

"Ugh. Yeah." I sigh dramatically. "I guess I can stand it for one more month." We all chuckle at that and settle into a comfortable silence, enjoying our drinks as the music booms in the background.

I am really going to miss them, I reflect as I glance at Jess and Greg. It hadn't really occurred to me that we would split up after Basic. I knew it would probably happen but it didn't really register until just now. My eyes rest on Jess and stay there. The military had really let her flourish in a way that the Reds never did. I have no doubt that she'll be an officer before either me or Toombs. She'd cut her long blond hair to military regs, leaving it hanging just past her ears. I think it's cute, and I even made the mistake of telling her that once. To my surprise she didn't even tease me at all, just smiled. There's something there, but I'm not sure if I'm ready to take it further.

On the other hand, why the hell not? Hmm, that might be the alcohol talking.

"You gonna stare at me all, night, Nathan?" Jess's amused voice snaps me back to the present. I cough and glance over at the dance floor and the mass of moving bodies.

"Just thinking." I reply, but I'm not sure if she can hear me over the music. Evidently she can, because she replies,

"Uh oh." She laughs, just a bit too loudly. I guess she's feeling the booze too. "Careful. The last time you did that we joined the Alliance." I grin at her.

"You know it was a good idea."

"It was." She admits, taking another sip of her drink. She scowls at it and shakes the evidently empty bottle. "Thank you." She says after a minute. I blink at her in confusion. "For…if…"she seems to struggle with the words for a moment. At first I think its cause all she's had to drink, but she seems almost…shy? Shy is the last thing I would ever expect Jess to be. She's much too…direct. "If you hadn't come along, helped me to leave the Reds…I don't know where I'd be right now."

"You would have done alright." I say back. "I don't think I really did much worth noting."

"Still…" she replies. Greg clears his throat loudly and stands up.

"I'll buy the next round, yeah?" He declares. I mutter a quick thanks, though my attention (as hazy as it is with the drink) is still fixed on Jess. I barely notice him leave.

We both sit for a moment before I stand up and move over one chair so that I'm right beside Jess. "Jess…" I say but stop. I'm not actually sure what to say. This just feels like the right time to say some things I've really been wanting to for a while now. But I've never been especially good with emotional stuff. Least of all talking about emotional stuff.

"Where do you get off acting like you do?" Jess suddenly says with a sigh. Huh? "I think I've got it figured out. That I was satisfied with the Reds then you show up." she glares at me. I think her shyness has given way to a more typical attitude. I can't help but grin. "You just show up out of nowhere, save my life, start talking about leaving Earth and…and..."

"You're welcome." I say, still grinning. I feel my grin fade as I look at her. She's staring right back at me and I can't tell if it's just the club, but it feels really hot in here. What the hell. Now or never I suppose. "Look Jess…I-" I'm going to blame the alcohol for my inability to suddenly form words. Yep. That's what I'm going with.

Jess rolls her eyes, reaches out and grabs the collar of my shirt. Huh? "Idiot." She mutters and presses her lips against mine. It takes me a second to register the kiss, then I'm kissing her back. The loud noises around us seem to fade out.

We both pull back after a moment and I can feel my lips tingling. That…wow. Jess grins at me and I'm pretty sure I'm grinning too. "So…does this mean what I think it means?" probably not the smartest thing I could have said, but my brain is being put through its paces right now.

"I think we're going to have to try that a few more times to really find out." Jess half whispers. My heart starts racing.

'Greg is taking an awfully long time with those drinks.' Is the last coherent thought I have before the world becomes a blur of sensation.

* * *

The first thing I'm aware of is the pounding inside my head. God, it feels like my head is about to split open. I rarely drink so the sensation is new. New and very unpleasant. There's also a terribly loud ringing sound that echoes in my head and it takes me a moment to realize that the sound is coming from my omni-tool, on the nightstand beside my bed. I look over and see the flickering orange light (which is absurdly bright) that indicates I have a new message. I reach over and turn off the alarm and collapse back into my pillow with a moan.

A softer, definitely more feminine moan response in kind.

That's when I realize there's another form huddled up beside me in bed. The memories of last night comes rushing back to me all at once. I realize that I have no idea where I am or how I got here. I quick scan of the room reveals that it is a hotel room. Probably the one right across the street from the club. I can see a lock of blond hair from underneath the covers beside me.

Jess.

I can see a lock of blond hair from underneath the covers. Did we…? I look around the room again and spot a trail of clothing leading almost directly from the door to the bed. So yes, I'd say that we did. I look back over at the woman lying beside me and realize that I'm grinning like an idiot.

A second later Jess's face appears from under the covers as she wakes up, blinking away sleep with another moan. She opens her eyes, looking at me for a second. "You're grinning like an idiot." Is the first thing she says.

I can't help it, I burst out laughing, even as I wince and clutch at my head from the pain the sudden noise produces.

"Oh, you're definitely in a good mood." Jess mutters, clutching at her own head in a similar state.

"I have a good reason to be." I reply. She smiles at that. Not to sound too corny or anything, but it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.

"Just shut up and put some clothes on." She commands, sitting up and sliding out of bed. I do the same, fishing for my nearby pants. "We're supposed to be at the barracks at Oh-Seven-Hundred for our postings."

Oh, right. Shit. I look over at my omni-tool sitting on the nightstand and check the time. It's Oh-Six-Hundred now. I check that message that woke me up. It's from Toombs.

' _Since you didn't come back to base last night, I figured you'd need a wake-up call. Get here before Sarge tears you a new one.' _There should be a limit to how much of a bro someone can be. Seriously.

Jess and I get dressed quickly and make our way back to the Alliance training depot a couple miles outside of town. It's about a half an hour's walk and in that time neither of us do much talking. Jess obviously doesn't want to talk about whatever is between us, at least not yet. Hell, maybe there isn't really a need to, this morning certainly seemed apparent enough. She seemed happy enough, and I sure am. That said, I'll be damned if I'm the one who complains about wanting to "talk about my feelings".

So we head back to base in silence.

We arrive about half an hour early. Most of the other new marines are already back and either catching some lat minute sleep or preparing for their departure from this training camp to whatever posting they receive. Toombs is waiting for us with a shit-eating grin on his face. Jess doesn't even say a word to him, just whacks him upside the head as she passes…which does nothing to alleviate his grin.

"Have a nice night?" He asks innocently. I give him a second whack to the head, which just makes him laugh, causing a couple of others to look at us. God help me if everyone else hears, then the ribbing will never end. "It's about damn time." He follows up. I raise an eyebrow at that.

"Oh yeah?"

"Are you kidding me? You two joined up together, and all the looks you would give each other when you thought the other wasn't looking?" Wha? Now that's interesting. I might have to tease Jess about that later. "We practically had a betting pool going about you guys."

"Wait, we?" I have to ask. Toombs nods seriously.

"Oh yes. And may I say, thank you very much for all the money you made me." He produces a handful of credit chits from his pocket and waves them in front of my face for a second. Before I can grab them out of his hand and smack him in the face with his damned money, a wolf-whistle from across the room distracts me. PFC Ricker grins at me from his bunk. A couple of the others start chuckling and giving me knowing looks. Yeah I can feel myself blushing now.

"You guys are such children." I say deadpan. That said I quickly change into my uniform and pack what little I have. I didn't arrive with anything aside from the clothes on my back and my old omni-tool, which I still had tucked away even though I use my standard issue one now. My little memento of my time with the Reds. Everything else is just my assigned gear.

"Wonder where we'll all end up." Greg muses as I finish packing up.

"I guess we'll just have to wait and see." I say, though secretly I'm rather excited. I'll finally be going off-planet. Finally really get to see this universe that I'd been dropped in.

* * *

"Corporal Nathan Walker!" The drill sergeant barks. I step forward from where the marines are lined up waiting for their orders. We're all standing at parade rest at the (big surprise) parade grounds, receiving our first duty assignments.

"Yes drill sergeant!" I bark in return. Drill Sergeant Guillermo is a very big man, and pretty much the epitome of scary drill sergeant. He certainly takes to his role with enthusiasm. Busted my ass for twelve solid weeks.

He hands me a datapad wordlessly step back into line. I sort of zone out from that point until we're dismissed. It's at that point that I actually get to look at where I'm being posted.

'_Corporal Nathan Walker – Assigned to 513__th__ Marine Platoon, Marine Detachment of the SSV Warsaw, 5__th__ Fleet.' _

Fifth Fleet huh? I don't know if Admiral Hackett is in charge of the Fifth Fleet yet. Maybe. Regardless, I know where I'm going until I get reassigned to Luna. Awesome. As far as I know Fifth Fleet is in charge of policing the colonies in the Attican Traverse. Why am I being sent all the way out there just to turn around be sent right back home? Makes no sense to me, but I guess someone in command just isn't thinking. I'm actually excited about it. Means I get to see more of space than I would otherwise.

"So?" Jess asks from behind me.

"Fifth Fleet. 513th company." I reply, turning around and flashing her a smile. She looks surprised and happy.

"Really?" she asks. "Me too." She shows me her datapad and sure enough, it reads

'_Corporal Jessica Hartmann – Assigned to 513__th__ Platoon, Marine Detachment of the SSV Warsaw, 5__th__ Fleet.'_

"That's great!" I exclaim. She grins.

"As if I hadn't had enough of you two already." Greg snorts as he joins us. "Now I'm going to be stuck with you two gazing at each other on a cramped ship in the middle of space."

"Let me guess," I say, "513th?"

"Ayep." Toombs nods. That…that can't be a coincidence right? All three of us being put in the same platoon? We work pretty well together, maybe someone noticed? Still, those odds are very…

"Then we'd better get to the shuttles." Jess looks even happier with all three of us here. She'd never admit it, but she's happy to have someone there to fill Amar's place in our little group. "The _Warsaw_ is waiting on standby at Arcturus Station."

I definitely did not bounce in my seat with excitement as we left Earth. That would have been childish and unprofessional of me as a marine of the Systems Alliance. The view of Earth as we exited the atmosphere was incredible, though. Thank God that this shuttle was civilian, and actually had windows for us.

"You two really have never been off-world before have you?" Greg observes. Jess and I are both staring out the viewport into the vast expanse of space, barely taking our eyes off of it.

"Nope." I reply. "You have?"

"My dad's a contractor out in the colonies. I guess the view has lost its charm for me." Toombs explains with a shake of his head.

"Then shut up and let us enjoy it." Jess says back, not taking her eyes off of the view. Toombs just sighs and mutters something about 'Earthborns'.

I spot something out in the darkness, steadily getting larger. It's the mass relay, I realize after a moment. My first look at the famous technology that literally launched mankind into the galactic community. And my first look at Reaper technology up close. That's a chilling thought.

Though it does nothing to counteract from how awe-inspiring the relay looks, pulsating with dark energy as our ship draws ever closer.

I can feel a slight pull on my body as we approach, then a sudden sense of vertigo and suddenly we're through the relay. That was certainly…quick.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have cleared the relay and will be docking with Arcturus Station in twenty minutes." The pilot says over the comm system.

I guess this is it. Soon I'll be serving aboard my first Alliance ship. I look over at Jess and Toombs. I'm glad that they're both here too. I can't help but think that between the three of us, serving in the Alliance s going to turn out alright.

* * *

_AN: Yeah, you can already tell where this is going can't you? Fun times ahead. Sorry this took a bit longer than usual, I got a new computer and had to transfer everything over. Honestly I'm not that happy with this chapter, the ending feels rushed but I wanted to get this out. It's not an important chapter anyway, just a link between events mostly. I originally intended it to be longer, with bits about Nathan's time in basic training, but I realized that I have no practical knowledge of what that entails. I decided to stick with what I know at the expense of a lengthier chapter. Next chapter though, oh boy. Things are starting to get real. _

_As always, thanks for the support, it really helps motivate me! See y'all next time!_


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: The material here is owned by Bioware and EA, not me

Outsider Effect

Chapter 6

* * *

_February 12, 2177 – Arcturus Station _

Arcturus Station. The center of the Alliance. In the last couple of days that I have been on the station as the _Warsaw_ is dry-docked for maintenance, I have taken it upon myself to learn as much as I could about the place. I never actually read any of the Mass Effect comics or books, so some of my lore is touchy (something I have been striving to correct. Thank you extranet access). One fun fact that I learned is that Arcturus Station, not Earth, is the headquarters of the Alliance, both militarily and politically. Earth is still divided into supernations and lesser unions that maintain a tentative peace while the Alliance represents humanity on a galactic front. I don't even want to think about the political web between the Alliance and the various nations back on Earth.

Arcturus is smaller than the Citadel, and definitely less extravagant, but it's still a small city. I don't know the exact number of people that live here, but with most of if not all of Alliance Parliament, their families, the normal citizens, alien diplomats, and the constant stream of Alliance soldiers, I daresay there are thousands of people here.

'_And at least half of them are packed into this bar.'_ I muse as I observe that crowd around me as I sip my drink. An exaggeration sure, but still. Every time I've come here in the past few days it's been crowded. Apparently I found the most popular bar on the station. But hey, I get a military discount here (which is probably why it's so crowded). At least it gives me something to do on my off-duty hours when I'm not with Jess, watching the different types of people that come through here. Alliance soldiers mostly, but there are a few aliens that pass through while conducting their business on the human-owned space station. At this point I've seen my fair share of turians and salarians, even a few volus merchants contracting supplies to the Alliance. I have to catch myself to make sure I don't stare. It's still really weird (and awesome) to see real actual aliens, and it hammers home the whole 'Mass Effect' thing.

Haven't talked to any yet, but it's on my to-do list.

I sigh and settle back into my seat, vaguely paying attention to the news report on the monitor above the bar. One of the things I still find funny is how unfamiliar the aliens here are with human customs, sort of an inverse of the Citadel. Yesterday I got to listen to a turian complaining to the bartender about how absurd it is to have both an entertainment system and a bar in the same facility. Apparently the concept of a "sports bar" is purely human. Or maybe it's just that turians are so rigid and orderly. Either way it was a good laugh to listen to the bartender trying to explain it to the confused turian.

My omni-tool chirps suddenly and I glance down. Greg is calling me. I answer, touching the implant in my right ear lightly. It's not necessary but I find myself doing it anyway. I'd never thought about the gene-mods and implants that I would have to get as an Alliance soldier until I actually got them. I mean, I'm totally okay with them. Minimal risk of catching diseases, increased physical performance, finer motor controls and reflexes. Go science! Some of the other recruits were a bit squeamish about the whole thing, but gene-mods and cybernetic modifications have become a norm here in the future. I certainly have no problems, in fact the thought of become something more than human actually excites me. I'm a technology lover like that.

"Walker here." I answer formally.

"Get your ass back to the ship, we just got a sudden recall order." Greg says urgently over the comm. I frown.

"What's going on?"

"I don't know. I heard one of the ensigns say we picked up some kind of distress call." Which I guess means we're being dispatched to look into it.

Sure enough, a few seconds later I get a message on my omni-tool calling for all crew on shore-leave to report back to the _Warsaw _immediately. I stand up quickly and pay my tab, double-timing it back to the docks. I wonder why our ship of all the ones dry-docked here. Probably just picked one at random.

The dock is a frenzy of activity as crew are rushing back to the airlock and maintenance workers rush to make their final preps for take-off. I manage to make my way back onto the ship with little difficult, thankfully. The _SSV Warsaw_ is one of the Alliance's older cruisers, which relies on a design that places the airlock near the cargo bay, rather than up on the CIC like the _Normandy_ (though I'm not sure if that's a factor of its partial turian design or a feature of Alliance frigates).

Regardless, it means it takes me less time to reach the hangar, where the marines report to.

Jess and Greg are already there when I arrive, geared up and waiting for orders. I give them both a brief nod and rush over to my locker. My Onyx II armor goes on quick, followed by my weapons. Standard issue gear for Alliance marines, full combat kit: pistol, assault rifle, shotgun and sniper rifle. I personally don't favor either the assault rifle or the shotgun, but until I go through Infiltrator training I don't have a legitimate reason to not go fully equipped.

"Fall in, marines!" the order is shouted and in a split second we're all assembled at attention in the middle of the bay. Lieutenant Kalvin Dray enters the hangar and surveys us for a second. Dray doesn't cut much of an intimidating figure, with slight features and brown eyes, but his voice is deep and commands attention. "We've received a distress call from one of our colonies in the Traverse." He says.

It makes sense, I guess, that we'd be sent for this. The _Warsaw_ is a cruiser, which means that it's fast enough to respond to the distress signal, but more heavily armed than a frigate in case there's trouble. Which the most likely will be. If a colony has gone dark then it's probably batarian slavers or pirates. The thought of Collectors briefly enters my mind, but I dismiss it. It's way too early for them to start moving.

"I'm uploading the mission details to your 'tools." The lieutenant continues, lighting up his omni-tool and sending the data package to each of us. "Find your squads and prep for landing. Once the _Warsaw_ scans the planet we'll be dropping in several miles from the colony." His eyes drift over us. "I know a lot of you are rookies, and this will be your first mission. I want this done by the book. Follow your fellow marines' leads and remember your training and this will go smoothly." He orders. "Dismissed." We salute smartly, which he returns and then we go back to prepping our gear.

Not much more I can do with my weapons, so I start fiddling around with my omni-tool. I figured out how to boost my kinetic barriers with several processes that draw from the tool itself. It takes away from the processing power of my omni-tool, I made sure that the siphoned power is minimal in affecting the combat programs I downloaded onto this thing. Apps like Overload and Incinerate are actually pretty easy to use once you get the hang of using omni-tool apps in general. I'm still trying to get the hang of hacking synthetics (which was one of my all time favorite skills in Mass Effect). It will definitely come in handy when the geth start invading. It's a bit more complex than just using an app, and I'll probably have to sacrifice one of my other apps for the processing power it requires-

"You are such a geek, you know that right?" Toombs observes as he walks up to me. I just flip him off.

"Just because I'm not technologically challenged, unlike _some people_-" I send him a look.

"Fine, whatever you say." He grins. "But you seriously spend way too much time on that thing. I think Jess is getting jealous."

Speaking of whom, Jess finishes snapping her assault rifle to the mag-lock on her back and joins us. "Jealous of what now?" she asks. She steps close and squeezes my hand. We're on duty so it's the most intimacy we can get away with, but it's nice to know that she's still invested in "us". Whatever "we" are. We still haven't talked about it. And weirdly enough it doesn't feel like we need to. My love life before Jess was practically non-existent so I don't have much experience to fall back on. Still, this works.

"Walker's obsession with his omni-tool." Toombs tells her. Jess just shakes her head. She doesn't laugh at me or anything though. She was there when I was busting my ass to scrape enough coins together to get my old Bluewire. She knows just how invested I am with having this connection information. So she doesn't bug me about it.

At least, not anymore.

"Taken a look at the data yet?" she asks, looking over at the screen popped up on my omni-tool.

"Not yet." I reply, pulling up the data package that the Lt. gave us. We have a few hours until our arrival at least, but no time like the present. I scan the contents. It looks pretty straightforward. We were going to land several miles out from the colony itself in squads and sweep the area for survivors, or barring that, signs of hostile activity. Simple enough.

Then my eyes land on a single word, a name, and my blood freezes.

"No," I mutter, disbelief and horror beginning to creep inside of me as I re-read over the name again.

Akuze.

We're being sent to investigate the distress signal sent out by the colony on goddamn _Akuze_. I suck in my breath and dismiss the screen, now trying not to panic. Jess and Greg are looking at me in confusion.

"Nathan?" Jess asks, looking worried. "What's wrong?"

What can I tell her? That we're walking into a deathtrap? In the games Akuze is specifically noted for the incident in which a whole team of marines is slaughtered by thresher maws. Our marines. Oh shit. "It's nothing." I say, forcing myself to calm down slightly. "Just a little nervous."

"Pff, this will be simple. Don't worry about it." Toombs tries to reassure me. I just look at him. Toombs. Jesus, that's where I remember him from in the games.

I look around the hangar at the thirty marines preparing for our first mission and I feel sick to my stomach. The Akuze massacre. That's what it's going to be. All of these marines, some of which I had trained with, are going to die. I…I'll die.

That thought strikes me and the terror is back, the sudden thought towards my own death. In Mass Effect Akuze was part of Shepard's potential service history, as the sole survivor of the attack. But Shepard isn't here. Shepard is the Hero of Elysium, not the Survivor of Akuze. Does that mean that there isn't going to be a sole survivor here? Are we all just going to get devoured by thresher maws?

"Your hand is shaking." Jess says, now looking _very_ concerned, grabbing my hand and, yes sure enough it is shaking.

Oh god, _Jess_.

Whatever fear I have about my own chances on Akuze doubles at the thought of Jess going down there. I'm terrified for her. Jess is a hell of a girl and tough as nails, but this…

"I'm fine." I say to her, taking back my hand and ignoring the questioning look she's giving me. I can't just tell her what's going to happen. Can I? No, that would lead to all sorts of questions that I don't have good answers for. Why do I know what's going to happen? Why, because I'm from a different universe obviously and know everything! Also this entire universe is a video game!

No, that wouldn't work. She'd think I'm absolutely nuts. Hell, I would think I'm nuts if I was her.

I take a moment to really force myself to calm down. Think about this rationally. I…I can do something about this. I know what's coming; I can try to change things. Isn't that what I told myself I was going to do? Not everyone has to die here.

What's the best way to deal with thresher maws without artillery or armored vehicles? Aside from being a krogan or just running away, that is. I frown and look towards the row of weapons lockers on the far wall of the hanger.

The answer, of course, is heavy weapons.

A quick review of the ordinance on the wall reveals that we have a grand total of three ML-77 missile launchers on hand. Great. Still, it's better than nothing. I grab one and secure it to the spare mag-lock in the middle of my back and turn around to see Toombs and Jess watching me bemused.

"Seriously Nathan, you're acting really weird all of the sudden." Greg says. He's still got his devil-may-care face on, but the tone in his voice has become serious.

"I just…" I try to work out what to say. "I have a bad feeling about this. I don't know why but…"

"And you think that bringing a _rocket launcher_ will help?" Jess asks incredulously. I look at her than over my shoulder at the weapon.

I shrug. "Couldn't hurt."

Both Toombs and Jess stare at me for a beat then start chuckling, but for once I don't join in. I can see the humor in it, but I don't find it very funny. I just watch them. My friends. Jess. The one good thing to come out of this whole cross-universe mess. I can't lose her. I won't. Things are going to turn out differently here.

They have to.

* * *

"Thirty seconds to drop!" Sergeant Jones yells over the whine of the Kodiak shuttle as we all pile into the drop ship. The shuttle across the hanger suddenly disembarks, and ten seconds later so does the second. Our platoon is divided into three squads, one squad per shuttle. Unfortunately, both Toombs and Jess are in Alpha and Delta squad respectively, leaving me all on my lonesome. I try not to be too rattled by it. I just wish they were going to be close by when this all goes down.

My heart is beating rapidly despite my best efforts to remain calm. I hear a chuckle and look over to see another marine, Corporal Alex Jenson looking at me, clearly amused at my nerves. "Rookies." He says with a shake of his head, completely misreading the origin of my jitters. I mean, sure, the thought is in the back of my head that this is, in fact, my first combat drop and I _should_ be nervous about that. But the threat of being devoured by giant acid-spitting space worms _waaaay_ overshadows that. "Just stay close, kid." He tells me. "You'll do fine."

I mutter a quick thanks and go back to running the scenario over in my head. Trying to find some way to make sure that we don't all die horribly.

No pressure.

I feel the ship lurch beneath me as our shuttle takes off. I inhale deeply. Okay, I guess this is it. Twenty seconds of breathing exercises later the side door of the Kodiak slides open, letting in the light of Akuze's sun. After my eyes adjust I catch a glimpse of the world itself.

Fields of tall grass as far as I can see, and distant mountains dot the horizon that the sun is already beginning to sink behind. It's a lot nicer than many of the worlds that the Alliance has colonized, but it's definitely not one of its most beautiful or lush.

It's…peaceful. Deceptively so.

The shuttle lands with a slight shudder and the second it does we're out the doors, rifles up and scanning the area. My radar shows what I can already tell just by looking around: There's nothing here.

"Fan out." The sarge orders, motioning us forward. The nine of us begin sweeping through the grass, west towards the distress signal. There's nothing but an endless sea of grass. At least it gives us a good view of the area. Not that it will help. My eyes drift down to the ground. Our real problem is beneath us.

I switch over to my sniper rifle, looking down the scope. I can already see the colony from here. I glance right and note that Delta squad is moving towards the colony a little ways from us. They're barely visible from this distance. That's Toombs' squad. No sign of Alpha yet, but we'll meet up at the colony.

"Bravo squad, reporting." Jones says over the platoon-wide channel. "No sign of anything yet."

_"Acknowledged, Delta reporting. No hostiles on our radar."_

_"Alpha here, we're almost to the colony. No sign of any colonists."_ Lieutenant Dray speaks over the comm. _"Rendezvous at the colony center. Sweep for survivors."_ He orders, but I can hear an edge of doubt in his voice. He doesn't think there's going to be anyone to find. The Lt. has seen his share of batarian raids, from what the gossip says, and no doubt this looks like another classic case of slavers snatching defenseless colonists to him. If only it were.

I really wish I had a better plan for this. All I have is a rocket launcher and forewarning. I'm pretty sure that the other two launchers got grabbed on the way out, but I don't know for sure. Will it even matter?

We arrive at the colony itself about ten minutes later, spending the whole time sweeping the area in terse silence. Everyone is alert, at least. That might just keep them alive when trouble shows up. The colony itself strikes me as rather unremarkable. It's a typically generic human colony made out of prefab houses and white buildings made to stack close together. The same as any other outlying colony like Horizon or Freedom's Progress.

Alpha squad is already waiting in the colony center when we get there. Delta arrives a few seconds later from the east. The colony is completely deserted. Yet nothing about the colony itself is disturbed. All of the people are just…gone.

This is eerily like the missing colonists in Mass Effect 2.

"Sergeants," the Lt. nods to Jones and Delta's sergeant as we all form up. The three start talking in low tones while the other marines begin setting up a perimeter. I scan the surrounding buildings again, trying not to frown. If thresher maws actually attacked this place there would damage. Acid marks at least. There's just…nothing.

I think of something. The whole Akuze disaster was engineered by Cerberus. I remember that from the games (better late than never). If all of the colonists are gone, maybe they were abducted. I look at the surroundings with fresh suspicion. I have no idea why, it seems like it would be much simpler to just let the thresher maws deal with them and collect data from that, but this is a little too clean. I guess it doesn't matter either way. Whether Cerberus took them, or they really were killed by the maws, they're dead anyway. Poor bastards.

"We'll make camp here for the night." I hear Lieutenant Dray declare. My heart sinks. Oh, shit. That definitely doesn't sound like a good idea.

"Sir!" I speak before I think about it. Lt. Dray and Sergeant Jones both turn to look at me, the latter giving me a practiced scowl. I swallow but don't back down. Might as well try.

"Something on your mind, Corporal?" Dray asks me.

"It's just," I start. "There's obviously nothing here, sir. Whatever happened here, whatever took the colonists is long gone now. What's the point of sticking around?"

Dray looks at me with an unreadable stare and I can feel myself shifting with unease. A few of the other marines are watching me too. Well great, now I feel like an asshole. Considering all our lives are hanging in the balance I think I can live with it.

"There's still a chance that there are survivors, Walker." Dray says after a moment. "We'll set up here tonight and in the morning search the area more. If there are survivors they might try to find their way back here. If not, then we might find evidence what happened here with more daylight." He looks significantly at the setting sun off in the distance. It's already mostly dark here in the colony. It's good reasoning, and it's obvious that the Lt. is holding out hope for finding survivors. Dray always struck me as an understanding type of man, empathizes with his troops and leads sensibly. Good officer material. And it's going to get us all killed.

"But-"

"Stow it, marine. We have our orders." Sergeant Jones growls at me and I bite back my protest. Damn it. They aren't going to listen.

"Yes sir."

The rest of the evening is spent setting out bedrolls and perimeter sensors around the colony in case of an attack during the night. I try to make myself as useful as possible, at least to keep the sarge from giving me anymore flak for my backtalk.

"You never really know when to just up, do you?" Jess finds me eating a tasteless ration bar near the edge of the colony square.

"It's part of my charm." I reply dryly.

"It's going to get you latrine duty for the next year." She shakes her head at me. "What the hell was that?"

I finish off the ration bar and sigh. "I just can't shake the feeling that something bad is going to happen." I explain vaguely. "We really shouldn't stay here."

She looks at me for a minute and finally says, "There's something you're not telling me." Uh oh.

"What?" I try to not sound nervous as I say that. Jess glares at me. I don't think it's working.

"I know you Nathan. You're being purposefully vague about whatever this is. Ever since the ship you've been acting weird. Like you know something we don't."

"It's just a feel-"

"Don't give me that." She interrupts me, starting to sound genuinely angry now. Shit. "You don't mouth off to your superior officer and bring along a _freaking rocket launcher _on a feeling."

What can I tell her? Everything? Just, tell her all about how Akuze is going to happen and how I know that? I could lie, sure. Make up a reason for how I know. Though I highly doubt that anything I say would make me out in a good light. No, I can't lie to her. But telling her the truth…it will probably land me in a mental hospital, and at the very least ruins my chances of being together with Jess.

If it saves her life, isn't that worth it?

I open my mouth to say it….and then my omni-tool beeps. Jess's does too. It's an alarm. The perimeter alarm.

Then I feel the ground shake.

_Oh no. _

"What the hell was that?" Jess asks, reaching back and pulling out her rifle, just as another tremor sends us both staggering. A much bigger one. The night air is suddenly split with the sound of a loud, bestial roar. Oh god.

"Contact!" Someone screams over the radio. "West side of the colony!"

"What the fuck is that?" Someone else cries.

There's another roar and suddenly there's the sound of gunfire punctuating it. Jess and I both take off towards the sound of the fighting. I can feel the ground shaking again beneath my feet. I don't bother with my rifle, instead going right for the ML-77. I can hear Lieutenant Dray barking orders over the comms.

"Take that thing down! Suppressing fire!"

We turn the corner back towards the edge of colony and I skid to a halt. Jesus…those things are really big up close.

Seeing one of those things through a video screen doesn't really capture the horror of seeing a thresher maw up close and personal. It's at least three stories tall, all teeth and acid.

Thankfully the buildings give us cover from the acid, though even as I say that the giant worm spits a hissing glob of acid that hits a marine directly in the chest. The man screams once, a horrible wet sound, before the acid kills him. Shit.

"Keep firing!" I hear Sergeant Jones yell over the gunfire.

"It spits fucking acid?" Someone else says in hysterics over the radio, and I recognize it as Toombs' voice. "What is this thing?"

"Doesn't matter, just fucking kill it!" someone else yells back.

I drop to one knee and bring the missile launcher up, taking aim. The notion that I should say a badass one-liner occurs to me. My brain deals with stress weirdly. I say nothing, just fire three shots in rapid succession. The missiles streak over the soldiers' heads and hit the thresher maw dead center. The beast sways for a moment, then lets out a bone-rattling howl.

I shoot again. And again. The first shot hits center mass. The second right in the space worm's gaping mouth. The beast's roar turns into a wounded shriek and then the thresher maw pitches forward and crashes to the ground.

I…I think I killed it. Holy shit.

There's cheering from the marines around me, someone pats my shoulder roughly. I…don't believe it. Dare I say it, but that almost felt too easy.

"Corporal Walker." Lieutenant Dray says over the radio. I look up. He's standing a few feet away, looking at the corpse of the thresher maw. The officer turns and grins at me. "Nice shot."

"Thank you sir." I feel energized. With the threat gone the adrenaline is still rushing through me.

"I guess we know what happened to the colonists." I hear a nearby marine say.

"Sergeant Cobb." Dray speaks over the com. "Radio the ship. I want them to sweep the Alliance databases. See if we can't find out just what the hell this thing was-"

And then the ground beneath the Lieutenant explodes, and another massive body rises out of the ground. Dray doesn't get a chance to scream.

The new thresher maw is easily twice as big as the one I just killed. The ground all across the colony suddenly erupts in what seems like a sea of writhing bodies, thresher maws rearing up everywhere. My elation is gone, and the terror is back.

The formation breaks immediately and devolves into chaos as marines scatter, trying to find more cover from the rain of acid spit suddenly assaulting them, or firing in panic at the creatures. Orders are being screamed into the radio, but amidst the cries of panic and terror they can't be made out.

I can see at least five thresher maws now. This is a _nest. _

The gunfire is doing little more than irritate the giant monsters around us. Some of the marines try to organize some kind of assault, group up and focus their fire, but all that does is give the hulking worms a bigger target.

I'm rooted in place, staring in mute horror at the scene. I can see Corporal Jensen crawl by, screaming as acid eats away at his body. He's leaving pieces of himself behind as he crawls. I feel bile rising in my throat. Two marines just disappear as a thresher maw dives back underground, devouring them in the process.

Others are crushed as the giant creatures send prefabs crashing down on top of the scattering soldiers.

I thought I had at least prepared. Nothing could have prepared me for this. This is…

I feel a hand on my shoulder, shaking me, but I don't respond at first. Then suddenly I realize someone is yelling my name. "Nathan! Nathan wake the fuck up!"

Jess is screaming in my ear, tugging at me with one arm and firing her assault rifle at one of the maws with the other arm. "We have to go!"

Go. Yes. There's…there's no way we can fight this. This is slaughter. We have to run.

"We have to get out of the colony." I rasp, stumbling as I turn to run. I raise the team coms. "Get out of the colony!" I shout over the channel. "We have to get out!"

Only a garbled scream responds, mixing with the cacophony of screams all around me.

Shit. Shit shit shit shitshitshitshit-

Jess sprints ahead of me, grabbing my hand and pulling me along. "Don't slow down!" She shouts over her shoulder. "I can see the edge of the colony!" Sure enough, even in the darkness I can make out the swaying tall grass of the fields beyond the colony. I surge ahead, now taking the lead as a new hope fills me. We can make it out of this!

I nearly trip as a tremor shakes the ground and a thresher maw emerges from the earth behind us. Prefab houses are sent flying as the beast rises up. It's looking right at us.

Oh God.

The thing lets out an ear-piercing shriek and shoots a glob of acid right at me. I can only stare as it comes at me. It almost seems to be in slow motion.

"Nathan!" I feel someone shove me in the chest and I stumble to the ground. I can hear the sound of something wet hit, and a hissing sound as something splashes on me. Immediately pain flares up as the acid begins eating away at my armor. I let out a muffled cry and try to rip the chest-piece off of my hardsuit before more acid eats all the way through. After a brief struggle I manage to rip the dissolving piece or armor away and throw it away. I quickly apply some medi-gel to take care of the acid that had already eaten its way through the armor. I let out a sigh of relief as the pain lessens. I'll need more thorough medical treatment later but that will have to do for now.

"Jess." I hiss, trying to keep low in the grass. The thresher maw seems to have turned its attention elsewhere. I spot Jess lying prone in the grass a couple of feet away. "I think it's gone." I whisper, crawling over to her. "You alright?"

The words die on my lips as I reach Jess.

Or what's left of her.

That attack should have killed me. Instead I just got skimmed because Jess pushed me out of the way. And took the full hit herself. Acid from a thresher maw can dissolve through armored plating in seconds. Jess had taken a direct hit by it. The result of which is the pitiful, pile of flesh in front of me.

Jess.

No. Oh God no.

I feel sick. I turn and throw up in the grass beside me, trying to steady myself with hands that _won't stop shaking. _

I back away from the body. Jess's body. I…I can't stay here. My body feels numb as I stand, stumble, then stand again. I have to escape. To get away.

I turn and run, looking a final time over my shoulder. Jess's half-dissolved face staring blankly back at me is burned into my mind as the body, the screams and the roaring of monsters begins to fade.

* * *

I just run.

I don't know which way I'm going. I think in the general direction of our drop zone but…I can't tell. I can barely register the world around me as the shock begins to set in.

I keep running until my body can't run anymore. Then I just keep walking.

I don't know for how long. Hours? It feels like days.

At some point the sun rises again. I don't really notice except for how unbearably hot it becomes.

Why am I lying down? I could have sworn I was walking…

The last thing I hear before everything goes dark is the faint sound of a shuttle engine, then everything fades.

* * *

_AN: Nothing says character development like severe PTSD! _

_From this point I think we have maybe two or three more chapters until we reach Mass Effect! Yay! This chapter is probably my longest yet, and I like it a lot more than the previous chapter. I think it could still use work, but I'm never truly happy with what I write so meh. I'm hyped to see so many people alerting-ing and favorite-ing this story, really good to know that folks like it! I'd love to see some more reviews to help critique things a bit. Always room for improvement after all. Keep sending the love, y'all! _

_See you on the next episode of Outsider Effect!_


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: The material here is owned by Bioware and EA, not me

Outsider Effect

Chapter 7

* * *

_May 12, 2177 - Arcturus Station. _

_Three months later…_

_The whole world is screaming. I'm running through that field of grass again. And again and again. No matter how fast I run I never seem to get any further away from the colony. Get away from the screaming. _

_Every time I look over my shoulder I see them, looming behind me, great shadowed monsters rising up and leering at me. The ground is shaking and I lose my footing, tripping and falling to the earth. I push myself up off the ground and my hands come away bloody. It seems to soak the ground all around me. Half-devoured bodies are strewn about everywhere. I let out a choked scream, a scream that is lost among the screaming that's already ravaging my ears. The cries of soldiers being eaten by monsters or dissolved by acid. Screams of terror, of pain. _

_One of the bodies jerks suddenly. It's Lieutenant Dray, trying to pull himself upright onto feet that aren't there, along with half of his body. "You knew." Comes the accusation, hateful eyes glaring at me eve as they're glazed over in death. _

_The roaring of the thresher maws in the distance becomes booming voices like thunder, echoing the words. "You knew…you knew…you knew…" _

_The bodies of the marines around me, my comrades, begin to stand, or pull themselves upright from piles of their own gore, glaring. _

_Accusing. _

_And Jess is there, unable to stand with the rest; too damaged, too ravaged to even move, staring at me with that same unblinking gaze, half of her face a steaming mess of acid, blood and meat. _

"_You could have stopped this." They all say, even as the leviathans in the background repeat over and over again 'You knew…You knew…' _

"_**You could have stopped this!"**_

* * *

I sit up with a sharp gasp, panting for breath. I'm covered in sweat.

I sigh and lay back down, running a hand through my short hair and forcing myself to breath regularly. That damned nightmare again. It's been plaguing me since the Alliance found me comatose on Akuze, several miles from our initial drop zone.

It's been three months since Akuze. I like to think I've recovered well. The acid burns I received were superficial and didn't scar. The mental trauma has been a bit more of a task, but hey, I no longer spend every waking moment afraid that the _ground beneath me is going to erupt with giant space worms intent on finish what they started-_

Ahem.

Three months, and I'm still having that same damned nightmare. Three months of medical and psychological evaluation and therapy. The doctors said that the dreams would go away in time, but I'm starting to wonder if that's true. I lift up my right hand and see that it's shaking again.

I reach over to the small nightstand beside my bed and fumble around until I find the lighter and small gray box of smokes that I keep there. I pull a cigarette from the box and light it after a couple of tries with my unsteady hand. Technically we aren't allowed to smoke in the barracks, but with the automated ventilation system controlled by VI, no one will notice.

I settle back and take a drag from the cigarette, closing my eyes again. After a moment my hand stops shaking. I always used to have a general distaste for smoking, but nowadays I find that I rely on it to calm me down. They are surprisingly difficult to get, at least through standard businesses here on the station. Apparently all of those "smoking kills" ads sank in somewhere down the line.

I take another long drag and exhale with a heavy sigh. _'You could have stopped this.'_ The words from my dream bounce around in my head some more. The words I tell myself every day. Every time I closed my eyes and see Jess, or Toombs, or Dray.

Realistically, there was nothing I could have done. One rookie marine against an entire nest of thresher maws? I was damned lucky to even escape with my life. That's what the therapist kept telling me. I hear it. I know it.

But I don't believe it.

Not really.

'_What's the fucking point of knowing what is going to happen if I can't do anything about it?' _I wonder to myself. I've spent the past several months on medical leave with nothing but my thoughts, and I still don't have an answer. I wish I could blame it on whatever brought me here. I want to hate whatever mysterious source ripped me from my home and put me here to suffer like this. But there's nothing there, so all I can hate is myself. For making the choice that led to this. For not having a better plan.

For letting Jess save my life, and give up her own.

I sent a message to Finch and the rest of the Reds back on Earth, telling them about Jess's death. We had both enlisted through the Alliance's outreach program for impoverished areas since neither of us had families or records to speak of, and the Reds were the closest thing that Jess had to a family. They deserved to know. The message was mostly for Amar, but I hope that Finch at least cares.

I snuff out what's left of my cigarette and pull myself out of bed. I pull on some simple civilian clothes and don't bother looking at myself in the mirror. I couldn't really care less about how I look right now. At least my hair is cut so short now that it won't add to my unkempt look.

I exit my small room (very close to the medical ward) and start my usual trip through the barracks. There are only three places I go to here on Arcturus Station: the gym, my psych evaluations or Paddy's bar. My next evaluation isn't for a couple of days and I can't bring myself to work out at the moment. So drinking it is. Yay.

I try not to make eye contact with anyone in the halls. Still, I can see some of them eyeing me as I pass by. A couple of marines start whispering as I walk by them and I can make out the words "-survivor of Akuze."

Sergeant Nathan Walker, The Survivor of Akuze.

The Alliance promoted me for just fucking surviving, and the media pinned that name on me like some kind of heroic title. Like it's some kind of badge of honor for being the only person to survive that slaughter. I laughed hard the first time someone called me by it for the first time (and earned a few extra psychiatrist visits). I still find it bitterly funny sometimes. The Survivor of Akuze; the title that Shepard would have gone by had she been there.

'_At least I'm integrating myself into this universe nicely.'_ I think bitterly as I leave the Alliance barracks here on Arcturus' fifth level.

From there it's a quick five minute walk/elevator ride up to the main commerce hub of the station, where most of the restaurants on Arcturus are located, lining the walls of the station while citizens travel through on their way to or from the spaceports.

Paddy's bar is as busy as it usually is at this time of "day" (or what counts as daytime on a space station). I find an empty stool at the bar. "Morning Mac." I grunt as the bartender wanders over. "Mac" or Gavin MacBrayer, nods at me.

"The usual?" he asks, looking at me with an expression that just screams 'you look like shit'. I just nod back at him and settle in. The food here is pretty great for a place that requires constant import of goods and the beer is top notch. But the real reason I come around is that anywhere else on Arcturus I'd have to deal with waitresses or bartenders gasping at me and giving me the whole "Oh my gosh, you're _him_!" routine. First day I walked back into Paddy's after my first medical examination had finished and plopped down at the bar, Mac walked over to me, gave me one look and just handed me a drink. "On the house." And went right back to serving guests. Sometimes his silent understanding does more for me than any of the practiced words that my shrink spews at me.

I nurse my drink silently, watching the vid screen over the bar. It shows a report on protests all over Alliance colonies and even on Arcturus station, crying for action against batarian aggression. The tension has been building for years, and the Skyllian Blitz finally pushed humanity over the edge. The batarians have pushed their luck and people want blood. The report states that no official word from Alliance Parliament has come down regarding the issue, but I know better. Marines like to talk, and with all of the resources moving around right now, a big operation is in the works. That operation of course, will be Torfan. I wonder who the unlucky bastard will be that gets to claim the title 'Butcher of Torfan'.

The Butcher of Torfan. Hero of Elysium. Survivor of Akuze.

That title, that name is going to be a major mark on my record now, isn't it? I can't just forget it and move on. It's always going to be a part of what defines me as a soldier and a person now. I clutch my drink a little tighter, and suddenly Mac waves his omni-tool at the screen and switches the channel. Then he slides over and hands me my food. Bless you Mac.

Sometime later, and roughly three beers later, I'm just sitting at the bar staring at my empty plate. I don't want to go back to my quarters yet. All I'll do there is mope some more, without the added benefit of a nearby alcohol source. I still have a few days until I'm no longer on extended leave, but I haven't received any new orders yet. I assume I'm going to be garrisoned here on Arcturus unless my posting to Luna is still in effect.

Someone sits down at the bar beside me, but I don't look up.

"You know," a deep voice, startlingly familiar, says from beside me, "Until I sat down I thought for sure you couldn't be who I thought you were." A flash of irritation (fueled by a bit of liquid stupidity) surges through me and I look over at the newcomer with a scowl. I'm about to tell the guy off but freeze when I actually register who it is sitting next to me.

The first thing I see is the Alliance officer uniform with a captain's dual-bar insignia and stiffen in my seat. Aw crap. Then I register the man's dark brown skin, then his face. I blink. I know who this is.

"Captain Anderson, sir!" I fumble to stand up and snap a salute. Holy crap, David Anderson in the flesh.

"I see my reputation precedes me, I don't think we've ever been introduced." Anderson says, raising an eyebrow. He motions at the bar. "Sit down, Sergeant."

I do so, still rather stunned at the sudden appearance of one of the most famous characters of the Mass Effect series. The man certainly cuts an intimidating figure in real life. "You are a bit famous sir." I offer with a grin. Shepard may be the newest Alliance hero that everyone talks about, but David Anderson is still a name that's passed around the barracks from time to time in admiration.

"So are you, these days." The captain replies. My grin disappears quickly. Mac appears at the bar, nodding at Anderson.

"Captain. Rare to see you around these days."

"Hello Mac," Anderson greets the bartender. "I'm just here while the _Tokyo_ gets refitted."

Mac grunts. "Still got some roast beef on the cooker if you want some grub." Anderson grins.

"Please."

Mac gets right to work, leaving the both of us sitting in silence. I decide to break it after a moment. "What did you mean?" I ask, "That you weren't sure who I was?" I doubt anyone could mistake my face now that it had been plastered all over the news for the past several months. Anderson seems to be expecting the question.

"I thought for sure that the sorry-looking man drowning himself in booze couldn't possibly be Sergeant Nathan Walker, a proud marine of the Alliance." The captain eyes me critically and I suddenly feel embarrassed about my state of appearance. Still, I can't help but grimace at the man.

"I'm off duty."

"You're still a marine. You represent the Alliance even when not in uniform." Anderson's voice is stern and I unconsciously straighten at the steel in his voice. The man is certainly an officer through and through. "We set an example-"

"An example of what?" I cut him off in a sudden burst of beer-fueled anger. "How to save your own skin while other people die?" I don't think I'm actually mad at the man for coming along and criticizing me. I'm more angry at myself for…well a lot of reasons. "Thirty marines went down there, only one came back because I'm good at running." I say with disgust. "And they fucking promoted me for it. _Sir._"

The glare that the Alliance captain gives me could melt steel. Aw shit. Now I've done it. Instead of reprimanding me, however, Anderson sighs. "Son, what you went through down there was a tragedy. What you're feeling…I get it. I do. Hell, I've lost more friends than I'd care to think about. But that doesn't mean you can just…fall apart. You're better than that." His toned softens as he speaks.

I look at him then back at my drink. For a solid minute I don't speak. At one point Mac returns with the captain's food, but it goes ignored for the moment, Anderson seemingly more interested in my response.

I've spoken to at least three different therapists at this point. None of them have managed to really get me to open up that much. I don't know why I feel like I can right now. Maybe it's because the person talking to me now is, at least on some level, familiar to me. "I lost my friends down there. I lost…I lost my girlfriend down there too. She died making sure I lived." Anderson winces at that but just listens. Relationships between enlisted men and women aren't exactly looked upon fondly, and the reason for that is now readily apparent to me. Anderson seems to know that too.

I look up at him and I imagine my face must look as lost as I feel right then. "What am I supposed to do sir? How am I just supposed to just…keep going?"

"It's not easy," Anderson admits. Several emotions flicker across his face. "You can't change what happened, and beating yourself up about it isn't going to help. You have to ask yourself, Walker, would they want to see you like this?"

No, no they probably wouldn't. Toombs, Jess, they would both no doubt give me hell for looking like such a slob…but neither of them would want to see me living like this. I can almost hear Jess saying _"Get your shit together, Nathan!"_ Those fierce green eyes glaring at me, demanding. Expecting. I blink back the sudden moisture in my eyes. "No," the answer is almost a whisper when I say it. "No they wouldn't."

Anderson smiles sadly, leaning forward and resting a hand on my shoulder. "Nobody makes it in this galaxy without grief. It's something you have to learn to live with. Their loss, that hole in your life, is something that will never truly go away. Nor should it. Keep their memory alive, and use it to keep going forward. It's hard, damn hard to do. But at the end of the day, the best way to honor those marines, and your friends, is to make it worth something."

Make it worth something. I digest the words.

"What that something is, is entirely up to you Walker." Anderson states. Those words seem to snap me out of the funk that settled over me ever since I got back from Akuze. My lack of motivation to do…anything except grieve. I stand up and set a credit chit down on the bar, then turn to Anderson.

"I think I'm going to go get cleaned up, sir." I say and Anderson nods in agreement.

"An excellent idea, marine."

I turn to leave the bar, then pause, turning back to face Anderson. "Captain?" I snap a salute. "Thank you." Anderson returns the salute with a warm smile.

"Anytime son"

It's not going to happen overnight, but I think I can move past this. Anderson's words helped, that's for sure. That said, a few inspiring words aren't going to just clear away a traumatic event. Still, I refuse to be crippled by this.

I practically march back to my quarters after a good shower and shave off the stubble that has been building up. I go back out after that, this time in my Alliance uniform. I have only a few days of leave left, and I'm going to make sure that I'm on the first shuttle back to Luna for advanced training.

Akuze was a disaster, and it's going to take a long time for me to get over it. But there is still work to be done. The Reapers are still out there and I need to be at my damned best when they come. I have to make myself better. I have to make Jess and Toombs, and everyone else's deaths worth it. I have to be the best, live, so that Jess's death was worth the sacrifice.

I have to make it all worth it.

I don't know what's going to happen, but I damned well am going to be as prepared as I can be. The first step is getting back on trap with infiltrator training on Luna. After that? Who knows? I've got seven years ahead of me to work with. I'm going to be sure that I'm ready to face it when the time finally comes. I have to be. If I'm not, then more people will die.

* * *

_January 4, 2178 - Arcturus Station_

_Nine Months later…_

This bar never seems to change. I haven't been back in over half a year, but it almost feels like I had just been in here yesterday. The place is still packed with patrons, the vid screen still blares over the bar and Mac is still wordlessly tending to his customers. It's a welcome sight. Familiarity.

"Heya Mac." I greet as I settle in at the bar. The stoic bartender grins as he sees me, and gives me a once over.

"Good to see you back in better shape," he fixes his gaze on the insignia on my collar, "Lieutenant."

"It's been a busy few months." I reply with a grin of my own. And boy has it ever. My processing for specialized training on Luna went off without a hitch after my medical leave cleared. Infiltrator training was tough, but also quite possibly the most fun I've ever had in my life. I think I might be in love with sniping, just a little bit.

"Clearly." Mac slides a beer across the counter to me, which I take gratefully. I'm glad to have a little bit of down-time before I receive whatever ship posting I get here on Arcturus.

Alliance specialized training lasts almost as long as normal boot camp does, but even so I should have been back here months ago. Almost immediately after training was done I was shipped out to the Traverse. Infiltrators are in high demand for scouting missions along the borders. Needless to say I'm no longer a rookie when it comes to mission sorties. Nothing nearly as "exciting" as Akuze has happened, aside from a couple of small firefights with passing raiders. Nothing a squad of Alliance marines can't handle.

Apparently I impressed someone enough for an officer's commission. I didn't really know if I even wanted to be an officer at first, but decided that advancement is never a bad thing. So after Luna it was off to officer school, and joy of joys, that was another grueling twelve weeks of additional training.

Not that I'm ungrateful for the chance to keep improving. I'm always looking for ways to keep improving, from Alliance advancement to simply upgrading and modding my omni-tool (which is now a pretty sweet piece of tech if I do say so myself). One of the parts of infiltrator training was learning how to quickly and quietly create items and weapons using omni-gel and the omni-tool's mini fabricator. The final "test" of our skill in that department was creating our own "infiltrator brand" twin-pronged omni-blades. It's something of a rite of passage for us.

I finish my meal a bit more quickly than I would have liked, but duty calls. I say my farewells to Mac and head to the Alliance garrison.

Officer's quarters are bigger than the enlisted fighter's rooms, though not by much. It doesn't matter either way, I don't have many things that require the space. I doubt I'll be using the room for too long either. I should be receiving my posting orders any time today. From there it will be either the colonies or the fleets.

As if answering a summon, my omni-tool beeps, indicating I have a new message from Command. I move to open up the message, then pause as a second one appears in my inbox. Also from Command. Odd…

The first is my "pending orders" (that's a strange way to phrase it) to report to the _Madrid_ marine detachment by Thirteen-Hundred today….

The second is a letter. I scan over the contents for a moment, and have to do so several times before the meaning of the words in the first paragraph really sink in. Holy shit.

'_Second Lieutenant Nathan Walker, you are receiving this letter to inform you that per recommendation, for your exemplary service in the line of duty, the Systems Alliance is formally inviting you a spot in the Interplanetary Combative Training Program…' _

The ICT Program. More commonly known as the 'N' program.

Holy shit.

I know that I did pretty well during my training on Luna. I got several commendations for the border action I saw but….this?

I keep scrolling through the message and pause at one part. "Letter of recommendation?" I murmur, furrowing my brow at that. Whoever sent my recommendation has apparently been following my record, citing my Luna training and officer school marks as well as several instances during my time along the border of the Traverse.

Then I see a name.

Captain David Anderson.

"Well how about that?" I ask the empty room with a disbelieving chuckle. The good captain thinks I'm good enough for the N Program. That's no pressure at all.

I sit down at the small desk in my room, staring at my omni-tool for a good five minutes, thinking his over. The more I think about it, the more terrifying it sounds. The N Program is the toughest the Alliance has to offer. Extreme training to turn soldiers into elite operatives. Would I even be able to make it in the N Program?

Anderson seems to think so.

"_Make it worth something." _

The words come back to me. This is a great opportunity for me, I realize. To keep improving. To keep living, and to be something that Jess would be proud of.

The room suddenly feels very small around me.

I again stare at my omni-tool for a good few minutes, then begin to type up my reply.

* * *

_AN: Now comes some major time-skipping. There's still around seven years until Mass Effect 1 starts and we certainly aren't going to be reading about that whole time in between. As far as I can tell, there is no clear answer about how long completing the whole N Program up to N 7 takes, but I imagine that it takes years to acend through all seven tiers of training. More than enough to fill the time between events here. _

_I decided to at least hand-wave how Jess and Nathan joined the military since several people have commented on how that is a discrepancy given their lack of records. I was going to just leave it unacknowledged like the games do for Earthborn!Shepard, but whatever. _

_Thanks for all the continued support guys! Keep sending the reviews, I love to know what you people think of the story! _


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